Percy Jackson Book I : Clash of Titans
by TheNamelessMan
Summary: Alternate Universe. "Percy Jackson is not the son of Poseidon. He isn't even the son of an Olympian. His father is Gaea's first husband, the Sky himself." The adventures of Percy Jackson as the son of Ouranos, up to and above Heroes of Olympus with a rare pairing: [Percy x Piper] ! All rights got to Rick Riordan, and no profit is being made from this work.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello, everyone! I welcome you to my second fanfiction, and if you're an old reader from The New Wielder, then Welcome Back! I will udpate my other story, just be patient. Right now, I'll focus on this one, beceause "The New Wielder" is nearly complete. Anyway, this will be a trilogy. I will definitely not overpower Percy...at all. But don't worry, our hero won't be a sissy. I really don't feel like writing : "Percy snapped his fingers, and turned Zeus to ashes..."**  
**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of PJO. (This one is for every chapter, because I'm lazy and forgetful!)**

Ouranos, the ex-king of the universe had reformed his consciousness. He wasn't displeased that his sons had overthrown him as he was finally free of being the father of all horrible monsters. For a moment he wanted to have revenge on Tartarus and Gaea, but he knew that it would annihilate humanity. So he decided not to.

Instead, the ancient entity decided to leave a son he could be proud of. A son who would represent him; and thus he went to Earth, to the modern world. He was very pleased by what he saw, as humans actually fascinated him. For some reason, he was impressed by their ingenuity. And then he fell in love with a mortal woman.

He sired a child, a demigod, which had never happened with any other Primordial Deity before. After having consulted his fellow Primordials Chronos and Ananke (and after having seen the future that awaited his new child), he concluded that staying out of his son's life would be the best thing to do. He left the mortal who had his heart in order to move himself into the Void. His human lover thought he was simply a mortal who'd left her life, and Ouranos knew it was better this way.

* * *

Sally Jackson, a recent widow, had given birth to her new son just two weeks before. Her husband had died very suddenly in a car accident, leaving her with a child to raise all by herself. She was now in her hospital bed, her baby sleeping in her arms, oblivious to the tough life awaiting him. The baby, a fine boy was now Sally's whole world. He had blue-white eyes, a rare color. She named him Perseus, or Percy for short. When Sally left the hospital, she lived with her son in a small apartment in Manhattan in New York City.

Sally worked in a candy shop, and made just enough money to live on. As little Percy grew up, he never knew what it meant to have a father. He had jet black hair, which was always messy, and blue-white eyes. He was tall and strong for his age, and he showed himself to be a 'trouble-maker'. When he was seven, his mom lost her job. Their already not-very-comfortable-life style had become much worse.

Sally was struggling nearly every day with life's numerous problems when a guy she knew, Gabe Ugliano became 'close to her', so to speak. A few months later she ended up marrying him. Gabe was nice to Percy for the first thirty seconds, but within one week he got Percy to hate him and Sally to doubt if she really had made the right choice by marrying him. A year after her wedding, Sally got a second job because Gabe barely, if ever, fed his family.

She sent Percy to a series of private boarding schools due to his ADHD and other dyslexia-related difficulties, but he was expelled from each school. Sally managed to obtain every scholarship dollar she could, just so her son could get an education and the help he needed to do it. And then Sally enrolled her son in The Yancy Academy...

**END OF PROLOGUE**

* * *

**Percy - 13 years old. New York, September, 9th 2008.**

Percy woke up in his bed sweating heavily. He'd just had another crazy dream, and like each one, he couldn't recall it. He looked at the clock - 6:27 a.m. He groaned and closed his eyes. Only three minutes before he actually, really and truly had to wake up. And just like always, he heard the alarm about three seconds after he closed his eyes, or so it seemed to him.

Percy got up and went to the bathroom. He washed his face and grabbed some clothes. He put them on and went downstairs. As always, he didn't find anybody. His "stepfather" Gabe was still sleeping, and his mother, exhausted from all her late-night work was sleeping in as well. Percy hated his "stepfather".

Gabe always slept until noon, and spent most of his time drinking beer or playing poker, often both. But his most defining trait was his horrible personal "aroma". To sum it up, Gabriel Ugliano was a stinking jerk. Percy wondered how Gabe even got any money, but he preferred not to know. Thankfully, Percy was going to a boarding school, so he wouldn't have to see his stinking "stepfather" for months.

Was he a troubled kid? Yes, you could say that. And you could take any moment of his life to prove it. Percy was never excited about what might happen in the future. He didn't have much ambition. He wasn't what you could call a slacker, though. Today was his first day at the Yancy Academy. He hoped he wouldn't get expelled this time. He never lasted more than a year in the same school.

Percy quickly ate his poor breakfast, two slices of plain bread and right before he got out, he heard his mother calling his name; "Percy!" His mom, Sally Jackson was, in her son's opinion the single greatest person in the world. He turned, his hand still on the doorknob and saw his mom yawning and standing before him. "Where are you going, without even saying goodbye?" she asked with a smile.

Sally was still wearing her work clothes from the day before, and her brown hair was a complete mess from having slept on the couch. But Sally was somehow always so wonderfully beautiful. "Hi, Mom. I was just going to school. I didn't want to wake you up," he replied. His mother walked to him and hugged him in a tight embrace. "I'm gonna miss you," she said, her voice shaking.

Percy heard the quaver in her voice and saw the moisture in her eyes."Me too. But I guess I gotta go," he replied, hugging her back. She let go of him, and Percy opened the apartment door. He heard a quiet "Bye," behind him, and his mom closed the door. Percy sighed and went down the stairs. Once he was out of the building, he jumped into the first taxi he found. "Where ya goin', kid?" asked the taxi driver as Percy entered the cab. "Yancy Boarding Academy, it's-," the driver cut Percy off with, "Don't worry, I know New York better than...well, I just know it."

The driver grinned at Percy in the rear-view mirror, and Percy couldn't help but smile back. Looking up through his apartment's window, he saw no sign of his mom, but he guessed that she'd either gone back to sleep or started cooking breakfast. As the streets flashed past, Percy leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. He had a terrible headache, and the closed-in air of the car and the familiar noises of good old Manhattan did nothing to ease it. "Tough day, starting school and all?" It was the taxi driver. "You bet," replied Percy, his eyes still closed. "Well, you'll see school ain't that bad when yer finally all grown up; grown up and get a good job," continued the cabby.

"I guess you're right, and- OH GOD WATCH OUT!" Percy yelled! The car came to a screeching halt, and the driver turned to Percy, seeing nothing there, but startled. "Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack, kid! What the heck is wrong?" he said wheezing in shock. When Percy didn't answer, the cabbie said loudly,"HEY KID; what's up?"

Percy couldn't speak; his eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he stared through the windshield. He had seen... something... blocking the road. Something utterly massive, and he had instinctively shouted. The cabbie stuck his head through the window, honked twice and drove on. "I guess you really have sharp eyes," he said, looking at Percy from the rear view window? "It was a small dog. I would have killed the poor thing if you hadn't yelled." "Well, thank God for my sharp eyes," managed Percy, still trying to process what he saw.

The driver shrugged, and Percy leaned back. There had been something bigger than just a dog blocking the way, but it wasn't the first time this sort of hallucination had happened to him. Like just two years ago, during classes... Percy brushed that thought away. No need to dwell on how he had caused his own expulsion two years ago, or on his hallucinations or whatever they were. To Percy,those were as normal as the deja vu moments people often talk about, and he had long before decided to classify them as caused-by-tiredness-and-imagination.

"There we are, kid," said the driver as the car stopped. Percy thanked him and, before he could get out, the driver stopped him. "Reminds me, you didn't tell me your name," he said. Percy hesitated for a short moment; after all, his mom often told him not to trust strangers. But something in the cabbie's voice, probably his honest curiosity, told Percy he could make an exception just this once. "Percy," replied the boy, right before adding, "and I should call you...?" "Randall. I guess I gotta get going, and you should probably go before you're late." Percy smiled, and after paying and getting out, he heard Randall say: "You keep watchin' out fer them crossing dogs for me, Percy," to which the boy replied with a wave. A second later, the cab was speeding away. Percy turned his attention to his new school and felt a mix of anxiety and...well, nothing else; just plain anxiety.

It was similar to all the schools he ever went to, but he felt different about this one. He easily found the dorm; a girl showed him where it was. Arriving there, he put his bags beside an empty bed and sat down. He looked around him; it was a pretty simple arrangement. Beds were arranged in straight lines, and there was a small table next to each one. Percy sighed, and the bell anouncing the beginning of his first class rang.

He entered his class, sitting at an empty spot and he paid so little attention that the teacher had to yell his name three times. "Jackson, Percy!" "I'm here," he said, blushing. The teacher, an old woman, gazed at him and then continued the calling. After every student had answered, the class started. Percy felt his attention drifting more and more with every minute. His mind kept drifting from one subject to another...his mom...the thing he saw earlier...his lousy drunk of a stepfather...and before he knew it that first class, algebra was over.

The rest of the morning was pretty normal; Percy was ignored by most of his schoolmates, but he didn't care. At lunch, he sat alone, and didn't notice the teenager who was sitting and staring at him anxiously. As he was eating, the same guy came over to him and sat beside him. "Hi," he said in a squeaky voice. "My name is Grover Underwood." Percy gazed at the dark skinned guy in front of him. He had curly brown hair, a small goatee and he had crutches leaning against his chair.

"Um...Hi, I'm Percy; nice to meet you." Grover gave him a shy smile, and started eating his lunch. "So... what school did you go to last year?" he asked, chewing his apple.

"Goode," replied Percy. "It's very far from here."

"Yeah, I heard of it...why did you come here?" Percy's expression darkened.

"I...ahem...I wasn't...allowed to continue there," he muttered quietly. Grover didn't seem to be taken back, and continued. "And...why, may I ask?" Percy didn't answer. He had no particular urge to tell everybody he never lasted long in the same place,so he just shrugged.

"Yeah, well, don't worry, you're gonna like it here," Grover said confidently. Percy looked at him, and he shrugged again. "Maybe." Grover didn't say anything else, but he had finished his lunch and he was staring at Percy's untouched sandwich with something like envy and shame. "Go ahead, I'm not really hungry. Besides, I don't like cheese," said Percy with a little smile. "You sure?" asked the bearded teen, and he proceeded to frantically start devouring the poor sandwich at Percy's nod.

For the remainder of their short break, the two boys chatted over random subjects and had already started to bond.

* * *

As he was going to his next class, admittedly late because he had the arrogance to think he could find his way alone on the first day, Percy bumped into a girl. She fell on the floor, and complained loudly. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Didn't mean to," Percy stuttered, and helped her get up. She looked at him angrily, but her anger seemed to lighten.

Percy looked at her; she was a head shorter than him, pretty much like everyone in his class. She was wearing jeans, a dark top and a snowboarding jacket. She had chocolate-brown hair, which was cut in irregular lengths, kaleidoscopic eyes which seemed to always change color, and a beautiful face. She didn't say anything and kept staring at him. He realized it was the same girl who showed him the way to class that morning. He remembered he was late to class and broke the silence.

"Anyway...sorry again, I am gonna be...I'm gonna be late for class," he stammered and walked away. All the time until lunch, he kept thinking about her. When he had seen her, he had felt something weird, a tickling sensation in his guts, just like adrenaline. The day eventually passed and she didn't seem to give any signs that she had met him earlier during their classes, let alone stop to talk to him during their breaks.

Their next encounter happened during lunch period of the next day. He'd been calmly eating with Grover when she sat down beside them. "Umm...hi! We didn't get a chance to really be introduced," she said. Percy blinked a few times and stood there like an idiot, until he realized she was awaiting for an answer. "Oh, yeah, right...I'm Percy Jackson, nice to meet you," he managed to say. The girl smiled and Percy blinked. "I'm Piper McLean," she replied.

"McLean? Like the ACTOR?" asked Grover, who was obviously overreacting. Piper sighed and glanced at him. "Yeah, that's my dad, but don't tell anyone please," she asked him sheepishly. Grover choked, and Percy gave him a few pats on the back.

"You're THE Tristan McLean's DAUGHTER, as in TRIPLE OSCAR WINNER TRISTAN MCLEAN?!" yelped Grover, bewildered.

"Yes-"

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I was just over-reacting before!"

"Well, that's-"

"Please, don't tell me you're lying," said Grover, looking on the verge of tears, and Percy had the time to think: Man, he IS very sensitive.

"One of the sa-uhh, guys I mean, one of the guys I studied with told me he was an actor's son, I believed him for three years, and I still get crap for that," resumed Grover. "Long-term jokes are the worst."

Piper stared at him, looking rather surprised, then continued; her voice was pretty close to a whisper. "I'm not lying, but please act like you don't know who my dad really is, okay?"

"Sure. So...what brings you here to Yancy?" Percy asked, answering Piper's question and biting into his pizza.

"I was expelled from my last school because I was accused of stealing school property," she said very quietly. She then stared at both boys as if daring them to laugh, and Percy took it upon himself to break the tension.

"Heh, little amateur," he said confidently. Piper gave him a curious look. The confession Percy was about to make would cost him a lot if it was spread around, but he guessed Piper made some kind of self-sacrifice by telling them her dad's identity. And the 'stealing school property' thing...

"I shot our schoolbus with a loaded cannon," he informed them. Piper laughed, probably thinking he was most likely just joking and trying to outdo her, or maybe just make her feel more accepted. They chatted together about random subjects, and Grover joined the conversation after he finished eating his enchiladas. At the end of the day when Percy was laying on his bed, he felt more at ease than usual. It was the first time he made not only one, but two friends at school. His only problems were with his classes. He had big problems in Math and Latin, although he really liked his Latin classes. His Latin teacher, Mr Brunner was an older man in a wheel chair, but he was very nice and had a really wicked good sense of humor. During the following weeks, Percy did his best to be well behaved, but it didn't go as he wished. He got in a lot of trouble for protecting his friends (especially Grover) from bullies. Percy became closer with Piper; he grew a really huge crush on her.

* * *

Grover was pondering his rather unexpected situation. In the beginning of this Camp assignment, he'd attended the Yancy Academy solely because of Piper. She was pretty much the average demigod, not a very strong scent, and— yay! —the daughter of THE Tristan McLean, which Grover learned after meeting her. Chiron had told him she was going to show up at Yancy. Then Percy came. Grover felt uneasy each time he thought about who Percy's godly parent might be.

Percy had blue eyes that were very different from Thalia Grace's eyes. Thalia was a daughter of Zeus, and she was a beautiful but solidly built girl who looked at least a year older than she actually was. Thalia had a bold beauty that bespoke great strength, a strength that belied her own innate power. Grover could smell her scent for miles around.

Percy was probably a son of Zeus as well, but he radiated a different kind of power, and a very different scent than those children of Zeus whom Grover had met so far, so he immediately told Chiron about it. The old centaur was shocked when Grover told him that Zeus may have sired a child other than Thalia. So Chiron went to the Yancy Academy, used the mist and he watched over them all while posing as their handicapped teacher.

Chiron used a magical wheelchair that had been made for him by some of the campers at Camp Half Blood; they were children of Hephaestus. The chair was completely enclosed, and hid the equine half of Chiron's body, all while permitting Chiron to "sit" easily, resting comfortably as if he really were in an actual wheelchair. Any mortal looking at him would only see Chiron "sitting" in what looked like a real wheelchair. Grover relaxed a bit when he knew that Chiron was going to help him out. After all, Grover was still just a Junior Protector, and he needed all the help he could get. His biggest problem? Grover had no idea as to how much help he was really going to need... not just yet he didn't.

* * *

**Four** **months after Percy's first day at Yancy.**

Percy was currently in his Latin class, trying his best to pay attention. Mr Brunner was talking about the Trojan War, and he somehow made it sound very interesting.

"Can you answer my question, Mr. Jackson?" he asked. Percy, who hadn't heard the question, felt embarrassed.  
"I'm sorry, sir, would you please repeat the question?" Percy asked, hoping for the best.

"Why was Paris abandoned by his mother?" the teacher repeated slowly. This time, Percy actually knew the answer.

"Um...because she...had a dream, and she was told that the dream meant that her child would cause the downfall of her beloved city, Troy; right?" he answered, not so sure about himself, but almost positive about the answer.

Mr Brunner smirked and said,"Correct, but I hope you pay more attention next time." Piper gave Percy an almost unnoticeable smile, and he smiled back at her. He felt his cheeks become hot whenever her gaze met his. The bell rang, and they went together to the school cafeteria. When he entered, he found Piper hesitating between meatloaf and carrots.

"System rebooting?" he joked. Piper jumped in surprise, and looked at him. "I only eat vegetables," she declared, and went to sit at their usual table where Grover was eating enchiladas. That was new. Percy smiled and sat down next to Grover. "Did you take meat to spite me?" asked Piper of Percy, obviously quite irritated as he ate his meatloaf with gusto. Percy raised his hands and said, "It's not my fault if you're a vegetarian, Pipes;" he laughed, and Grover gave Percy's plate a look full of pity.

Piper just pinched her nose in complete annoyance, and started in on her lunch. "I can't BEAR that smell, so eat fast or go away." Percy chuckled and started eating, gaining speed with every bite. They ate in silence for about five minutes. Then Piper broke the comfortable silence with a question. "Since when do you know so much about mythology?" Piper asked. Percy just rolled his eyes and kept on eating.

* * *

That afternoon, it was announced that the school was organizing a trip. The next day, twenty one children and two teachers headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on New York City's 5th Ave and 79th Street. The school bus was crowded and Percy sat with his two friends, Grover and Piper. It was a rainy day, and the gray sky announced that a storm was coming. Percy liked the rain, and he always felt comfortable whenever he heard the thunder's loud roar. He looked through the window; they were halfway to the museum.

Percy looked over at Piper. She was struggling to read a book with her dyslexia, and Grover was... well, eating enchiladas. Percy was about to turn to the window again, but something - a half eaten peanut butter sandwich - landed on Grover's lap. Percy turned to see who threw it, and he spotted a red haired girl. It was Nancy Bobofit. She gave him a innocent smile, her teeth yellow as if she never brushed them. As Percy started to get up to teach her a lesson, Grover put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Percy," he said calmly. "No it's not!" Percy replied furiously.

"Yes it is; besides, I like peanut butter." Grover made him sit again, and Percy tried to control his anger. But a moment later, an apple - or what was left of it - hit Grover on his head. "You're dead, Bobofit!" yelled Percy. Grover, who wasn't bothered, made his friend sit again.

"Percy, it's okay , she's not worth it," he said. Percy sat down, and looked outside. The bus stopped; they'd arrived.

Everyone got out and entered the museum, Mr. Brunner leading the tour. They arrived at the Graeco-Roman mythology section, the students having lost interest long ago. Percy, who was doing his best to listen to his professor, heard Nancy make a very 'mature' comment about the statues of naked men.

"Will you shut up?" he snapped at her, and immediately regretted it. He had said it out loud, and Mr. Brunner stopped talking.

"Do you have something to say, Mr. Jackson?" asked the Latin teacher. "Oh,no sir!" replied the boy, blushing. Mr. Brunner pointed to scene sculpted behind him. "Can you tell me what this engraving represents?" he asked. Percy recognized it, and he relaxed a bit. "It's Kronos eating his kids, right?" He said. "Yes, and he did this because...?" "Uh...Kronos, the king of the Titans, didn't trust his children, the gods, so he ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. When Zeus grew up, he forced his father to vomit the other gods..."

"Ewww!" said a girl behind him.

"...and then, there was a big war between the gods and the Titans, and the gods won," he finished. "Huh, nerd," Nancy chuckled. Piper glared at her, but Percy didn't pay attention to her; he was still looking at Mr Brunner. "As if it would be useful in real life," muttered the red-haired bully to her friend. "And why, Mr. Jackson, would this information be useful in real life, as opposed to Miss Bobofit's opinion?" "Busted!" grinned Grover. "Shut up!" hissed Nancy, her face as red as her hair. "Um...I don't know sir," Percy managed to squeeze out.

Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Half credit, Mr Jackson. Kronos was cut to pieces by his children with his own scythe, and then they threw his remains to the very depths of Tartarus, the lowest and worst part of the underworld. On this happy note, we can all go to lunch now." "Such a happy note," muttered Percy. The students went to the exit, led by Mr Brunner. They were eating outdoors, close by to the entrance of the Museum.

Some were throwing bread to the birds, and Nancy was, as always, trying to steal something from an old lady. Percy sat at the fountain with his two friends. Nancy seemed to lose the attention of the tourists, so she (obviously) decided to bother the three friends in other ways. She threw what was left of her sandwich on Grover's lap and said,"Hey Piper, did you do a rain dance or somethin'? 'Cause it would explain this storm." A few laughs were heard, and Piper's hands curled into fists. Percy glared daggers at Nancy. He tried to calm down, but to no avail.

The clouds seemed to darken, and with incredible speed a bolt hit the closest tree. A piercing noise resulted from that, just a mere few feet from Nancy Bobofit. Some students screamed in fear, rushing back inside the museum. Percy was the only one who didn't move. "Percy, come on!" screamed Piper. She caught his hand and dragged him inside.

Once they were all inside, the large museum doors were closed and the teachers struggled to calm down the students. "What the hell was that?!" asked Nancy, seemingly shaken. "The tree attracted the lightning, it can happen. This is why you mustn't hide under trees when there is a storm," said Mr. Brunner. The students finished eating their lunch inside, while the rain was falling.

The rest of the day was normal, and there were no more lightning hits quite so close. When they finally did get back to Yancy, it was almost midnight. Traffic was a real mess due to many detours. Many city streets and roadways were flooded due to the enormous rainfall. Even some Subway platforms were flooded, causing massive mass transit delays all over the city.

Percy was walking lazily to his dorm, when he heard Mr Brunner's voice. It wasn't Percy's nature to eavesdrop, but he listened to the conversation anyway. "...Sir, I'm worried about Piper and Percy, but mostly Percy. Until now everything has been going well. Even the Kindly One hasn't spotted them...yet." It was Grover's voice. Mr Brunner replied,"Very well, but remember, Grover, if one of them dies, you won't get a second chance, and I can't do anything about it. As for Percy, it's a miracle he didn't attract any of them. I also believe he is a child of Zeus, but we can't be sure about it. I do have to admit that there is something... different about that boy."

Percy took a step back. He was unsure of what he'd just heard. They were threatened by something? And he was the son of Zeus?! He really thought his teacher was nuts, and so he ran, as fast as he could. Percy spent the whole night thinking about what he'd heard. It made no sense, so he concluded it was all a joke, even though he wasn't quite so positive of it. In the morning, he did his best to act as if he hadn't heard his friend's voice talking with Mr Brunner the past evening, but it was harder than it seemed.

Right before class, Percy took Grover aside. "Have you seen any 'Kindly Ones' lately?" he asked. Grover literally jumped in surprise. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," replied Grover nervously, a hint of fear on his face. "Listen, I heard Mr Brunner talking to you last night. So, care to explain?"...

AN**: So? Did you like it? Hate it? Review! As I said earlier, it will be a long trilogy. I have no idea on how boarding schools work, so don't blame me if there are mistakes.**  
**EDIT: I just edited this chapter. Hopefully, it's much more readable. I will do the same with other chapters before going on with the story. Yeah, I know, sucks to wait, but bear with me; I want my final work to be decent.**  
**EDIT #2: Hello. Well, I realize that I probably look like the Laziest Lazy Ass Author from McLazyness, but it is not my choice: I took the greatest possible pains to even edit this chapter on a small screen, but I have an announcement concerning this story: During this long no-writing period, I believe my writing skills increased. By a lot. Which is why I am editing chapters instead of writing new ones. Also, the presence of my Beta reader should do well to improve the story, and hopefully, we will be getting a new chapter after quick edit.**  
**Beta's Note: Faster? Not bloody likely! But we'll see...**


	2. Chapter 2

Percy stared at Grover, awaiting for an answer. But his friend shook his head.

"No Perce, that's impossible. You had a dream or something."

And he left Percy standing there. During the night, Percy thought about what Grover said. What if it was true? What if it was a dream? It didn't matter anyway; just like last hallucination, he thought nothing of it. Sure, it bothered him for a while, but as always, he decided it was nothing.

Just forget it, Percy. Next thing you know your mom'll tell you you are adopted.

He laughed out loud in the darkness, and then abruptly stopped. It seemed too plausible.

When he woke up, he was still thinking about what he heard.

He was distant and agressive all the day, and, in algebra class, when his teacher told him that he had to pay attention, he became insolent: he called Mrs. Dodds an old fat lady, and he got a detention for it.

The next day, in detention, he had to clear all the used exercice books. It was long and boring, but having Mrs. Dodds watching made it downright spooky, to the point he almost expected her to lock the door and take out a knife. When he could finally get out, he found his friend, Piper, awaiting for him. He was surprised to find her there, but he was happy to see her. She dragged him to an isolated corner and murmured in his ear:

"I think we should do something about Mrs Dodds," Percy raised his eyebrows, and smiled a genuine smile.

"So? What are we gonna do?" He asked.

"Set her on fire?" declared Piper, "Follow me!"

They were going to the floor reserved to teachers, and although Percy didn't want any trouble, he still wanted to revenge from his algebra teacher. Entering her room, they found no one, thankfully. Percy understood her plan.

"You want to burn the whole apartement?" He smiled. Piper shook her head.

"No, only her pants...or you know what? Let's add some other horrible clothes," she replied. She took a lighter from her pocket, and held it next to the tiny pile of clothing.

Eventually, the old lady-dresses caught fire; however, it did little more than darken a small part of tissue and give off a nasty smell, much to Percy's disapointement.

"We don't want to have a too big fire, just a small one to freak her out," she added.

Percy shrugged, and just as he was about to speak, he heard foot steps. Piper turned to Percy, who stared at her with a panicked expression. Reacting on instincts, he grabbed her by the hand, and dragged her in the closet, just as the door openned.

Mrs Dodds entered, saw the smoking pile of tissue, and stood there for a few seconds until she had the good sense to run.

She got out, screaming for help, and the duo waited to hear her footsteps echoing in the hall before leaving their shelter.

They got out and ran away as fast as possible, holding hands.

Once at the exit, they stopped to catch their breath, and looked to each other. They burst out of laughing in the same time. For a couple of moments, the two teens just laughed, and Percy felt nothing more than happiness.

"The...look...on...her face," he said between gigles.

"Yeah...I saw it," she replied, her laughter dying down.

They both sat on the grounds, next to each other.

"We sould do that more often," declared Percy. Piper looked at him, and snorted.

"Yeah, we really should," she smiled.

At that moment, the fire alarm rang, and, they were both soaked with water before either could so much as get up.

"But next time, we will take something, you know, if it start raining," joked Percy.

Piper chuckled, and cleared her throat.

"We should get back now, before anyone notices," she said. Percy nodded and realized they were still holding hands.

They broke apart, blushing.

Percy helped her get up, and they walked together, an akward silence between them.

As they were walking, Grover bumped into them. Poor Grover's crutches slid off his hands, and he lost his balance and fell on the floor with a little yelp.

Percy apologized and helped him get up while Piper handed him his crutches.

"Guys! Where were you? I was worried-"

He was cut off by Percy.

"That monsters would find us before you?" He suggested. Piper laughed, and Grover nodded with a serious expression.

"Anyway, did you know? Someone entered Mrs. Dodds's room, and started a fire," he said," No idea who it could be?"

His tone was suspicious, but Piper gave him an offended look.

"And what are you suggesting? I was awaiting for Percy to get out of his detention!" she exclaimed, and something in her voice made Percy almost believe her, and he would have, if he hadn't been with her. Grover seemed to buy it, and let go. Percy shared a look with her, and they both gigled.

Weeks passing, things got worse for Percy. He sucked in mostly all classes, and even studying all night didn't help him. He was dyslexic and couldn't do anything about it. He was in the middle of a stressful situation, as bad results meant that he was gonna be in another school the next year, and that he would be separated from his friends.

When he thought things couldn't get any worse, they did, but not in the way he would've imagined.

It was in the middle of the night, during the third semester; he had gone to drink water, and on his way back to his bed, he heard someone screaming. It was a girl.

Percy didn't bother waking up anyone, he tried to find the source of the scream, but it was hard to, especially with the echoing.

He had decided it was part of his imagination when he heard it again.

He walked and walked, until he could clearly hear the screams. It was in the gymnase. He ran until he got there, breathless, and he pushed the doors which were, surprisingly, unlocked .The lights were on, and, in front of him, Piper was on the grounds in her pyjamas, looking at something infront of him. At first, he didn't understand.

"Hey Pip's. Did you have a meat nightmare or something?" He said. She jumped in surprise and looked at him. At the same moment, something that made Percy question his sanity hapenned:

something very large, which he later decided looked like a bat, landed between him and the shaking girl.

Percy's eyes widened as his brain registered what he was seeing.

The thing in front of him had grey skin and the body of a bat.

Its head was hideous: no ear or nose; just big, puffy red eyes and a mouth full of sharp yellow fangs.

The creature's mouth twisted into a snarl, and it uttered a guttural noise.

"I am starving from demigod flesh, you two will be perfect snacks!"

Percy didn't wait another damn second; surprising himself by his own bravery, he lunged to the side just as the giant bat leaped at him, reached for Piper and grabbed her hand, dragging her out of the gymnase.

They ran as fast as they could and stopped only when the monster's screams die down.

"What...the...hell...was...that thing..." said Percy, breathless.

"I...don't know...I woke up...and it was infront of me...I thought it was a nightmare, but then I realized...nobody woke up, even when I screamed. I ran, and then it followed me..." she said, and her voice broke.

Percy was sweating. This was NOT one of his stupid dreams.

"Well, I think we should, wake up a teach-" he started, but he stopped when he saw the monster creeping behind Piper.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Run!" he muttered.

"What?"

"RUN!"

Piper openned her mouth, but she stoped when she heard the growl behind her.

The duo once again broke into a sprint, and they soon arrived at the school exit, not knowing if the monster was too slow, or simply giving them false hopes.

"And now what?" said Piper, almost sobbing.

Behind them, the monster let out another growl and propulsed itself toward them.

Piper dragged them both out of its way, and the beast crashed on the door, effectively destroying it. They got out of the school as the monster was still struggling to get up, and they were running in the streets, until they got to a dead end. Percy turned around and saw the monster.

"Die, honeys!"

This time, it was Percy's turn to react; he roughly pushed Piper aside, and she hit the ground with a saoft thud, but Percy wasn't so lucky; the monster effortlessly grabbed him, and he felt incredible pain where the claws pierced his skin.

"Percy!" Screamed Piper.

"Run!" He yelled back, his visions clouded by pain.

But suddenly, the monster dropped him with a scream of agonny.

Percy looked at the beast, dazed; the lower part of its body was burned and sparkled with electrecity. Percy felt a tickling sensation, and on instinct, he raised his hand.

Thunder boomed menacingly, and a disproportional lightning came down.

Electricity illuminated the city, and the air was filled with a strange smell.

But that wasn't even the weirdest part; Percy realized something else. His wounds healed at the contact of lightning. Percy blinked and looked around; the bat-like thing that had chased him was no more. It was as if a bomb had exploded here.

"Percy?" Said Piper casually. He looked up; she had had the good sense of getting away when the air charged itself with ozone, and she did not even have a scratch on her beautiful face. She didn't aproach, as the grounds were melted, and Percy got up and walked toward her drunkenly. He suddenly felt exhausted, and he would have fallen, if it wasn't for Piper. She helped him stand.

"Are you alright?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Here, let me help you..." she said. She passed his arm around her shoulders, and put an arm on his waist. Percy was too tired to be embarassed. They walked to the school, and she led him to the infirmary. Of course, nobody was there.

Percy sat on the grounds and leaned to the wall. Piper was on her knees and she put her hand on his forehead.

"Percy, do you want me to call for someone? You're pretty hot," she said, clearly worried. Despite being exhausted, Percy grinned.

"I know I'm hot, no need to remind me," he said, half dazed. Piper couldn't help but smile.

"Percy, what was that bat thing? Why did it let you go?"

" I don't kno-

"And how did this lighting came out, just like that!" She exclaimed.

"I don't know..."

"And what was that bat thing?!" She reapeated.

"I don't know, Piper, I don't know. I have no idea how the lightning thing worked, and I definitely don't know what was that thing," he said tiredly.

"We should tell someo-"

"No! "He interupted. "Nobody would believe us."

"But-"

"There is no 'but' Piper. We can't tell someone 'Hey, I just vaporised a big talking bat last night with lightnings, crazy, huh?' I think we souldn't talk about what hapenned today. It's better."

Piper sighed in defeat. She looked at him, right in the eyes. Although Piper would never say it out loud, she had a slight crush on him. She put a hand on his cheek.

"Pip's, what are you doing?" Percy asked after a moment. She blushed and took back her hand.

"Do you feel better now?" She said, as a weak tentative to change subject." We should ask a doctor, no need to tell him how-"

"I feel better," he lied. He got up, and offered his hand. She took it and stared at him for five good minutes.

"You just saved my life and I didn't thank you," she said, "I would have died there if you didn't come."

"It's nothing, you would have done the same," he replied, "At least I hope so," he added. Piper rolled her eyes, and she went to her room. When Percy came back to his bed, he thought about what just hapenned. He was pretty sure this was what Grover was talking about, but the whole thing was too big to register on one night. Feeling his pain smoothen, he quickly fell asleep.

When he woke up, he had a terrible headache; even worst than in Rendall's car. He sucked in class even more than usual. So much that Mr. Brunner took him apart before lunch.

"Mr. Jackson, you must work harder, I will accept only the best from you," he said with a serious expression.

"Yes, sir," replied Percy, to which Mr. Brunner nodded seriously.

Percy went to lunch with a terrible sensation.

"Not hungry?" asked Grover. Percy shook his head and Grover took what was in his plate. Piper sent him a look that meant : 'Do I tell him?'. Again, he shook his head and looked at Mr. Brunner who was talking with Mr. Nicol. He noticed something weird.

"Where is Mrs. Dodds?" He wondered out loud. Piper looked around.

"You're right," she said, "She isn't here."

Grover gave the two of them strange looks.

"Who is Mrs. Dodds? Are you guys playing a trick on me?" He asked with a smile. Percy looked at him as if he had grown another head.

"Our algebra teacher," he said slowly, "You've got to be kidding me. You forgot this bitch?"

"Percy!" exclaimed Piper. Percy shrugged, feeling only mildly guilty for dropping the curse.

"If there is no Mrs. Dodds, can you tell me who is our algebra teacher?" He asked Grover.

Gorver pointed to a blonde woman, sitting at Mrs. Dodds's usual place and dressed like a buisnesswoman, and said, "Mrs. Kerr, of course. Are you guys playing a trick on me?" he repeated.

Percy frowned and looked at Piper.

For the rest of the day, everyone kept acting as if Mrs. Kerr had always been the algebra teacher, and Mrs. Dodds never existed. Heck, even Mrs. Kerr talked to Percy as if she knew him. But it didn't stop him, he kept asking her questions, until he got a detention.

It seemed that Mrs. Dodds or no, he still sucked in algebra.

When he got out of his detention, Percy heard for the second time Grover and Mr. Brunner talking. This time, he immediatly ran to the girls common boredroom, and, before all the astonished students, he dragged Piper out.

He didn't care about her protests, and he brought her to the room where his latin teacher and his friend were.

Luckily for him, they were still talking.

"What the hell are you doing?! " said Piper. Percy put a hand on her mouth and pointed at the door.

"Listen!" He said in her ear. Piper gave him a curious look.

"...you think the Mist is enough?" Said Grover in the other room.

"I hope so. The year is almost finished, and then we will bring Percy and Piper to Camp. But be careful Grover, the Kindly One almost killed them, even with us around. We should pray that no other ones will come. Percy is obviously the-" Mr Brunner stoped when the grounds crackled under Percy's feets. Percy and Piper both ran away in opposite directions as quietly as they could.

When he decided he was far enough, Percy stopped. He was sure now...all this was related...Mrs. Dodds and the Bat-monster thing...and, being Percy, he immediatly mocked himself:

Yes, sure, Einstein. You kill a monster, and poof, Mrs. Dodds disapears. Don't have to be a genius to figure it out, huh?

Somehow, Percy accepted that; Mrs. Dodds always felt...weird, to him, and, if she was some non-human thing, she probably was a monster. But the other conclusion wasn't as easy to process: Grover was hiding something from him and Piper. Something big.

Rule #345 of dramatic statement during dramatic situations: Always add an echo, he thought with a smile.

As the rest of the semester passed, Piper and him became closer and closer, mainly beceause Grover was acting weird. He always looked as if he was being attacked, and consantly sent nervous looks around, and of course, he kept acting as if Mrs. Dodds never existed, just like everyone else, save Percy and Piper.

Sadly, Percy didn't have much time to think about it. The exams were approaching, and he had to focuse. It didn't go quite as good as he hoped; all of his results were under his expectation. Way under. He only had one exam left; latin. Percy studied hard for this one, even if an A wasn't gonna save him, he did it beceause he really didn't want to see Mr. Brunner's disapointed look. One day after his exam, Mr Brunner took him apart.

"Mr Jackson, don't be sad to leave Yancy... it's for the best," he said.

His tone was kind, and he looked as if he didn't know what to say."I mean, you do not belong here...it was just a matter of time."

Percy felt a weird sensation. His favorite teacher, the one that trusted him, just told him he sucked.

"Uh...I want to say...you musn't be frustrated, you're not normal after all-"

"Thanks for reminding me, sir!" Percy exploded. He didn't wait a moment and he left his teacher there.

The last day of the year, Percy was preparing himself to go back home, after failing horribly. He couldn't wait to see his mom, but he still felt sad to leave his friends.

Everyone else was talking happily about vacation, and Percy was the only one who was not excited.

It was the last week at school, and since Grover wasn't the best company lately, Piper wanted to spend her day with Percy.

She found him sitting, on the stairs leading to the first floor, thinking about God knows what. He was wearing a black AC/DC T-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of regular shoes.

He was still deep in his thoughts, whe she sat next to him.

"Hey," Piper said with a smile. Percy looked at her.

"Hey," he said, smiling back.

"So, where will you go this summer?" she asked him. Percy shrugged.

"Nowhere, I'll be doing stupid chores to earn money, then I'll worry about what school I will go to..." he replied "How about you? Going in a privet jet to Hawaii?"

Piper playfully punched his arm.

"Nah, I will be staying at home...my dad is a jerk, he always sends Jane, his secreter, to take care of me," she said, looking at her shoes. Percy raised eyebrows.

"You never talked to me about your dad," he noticed, then he quickly added, "But it's okay if you don't want to talk about it." Piper looked at him, and gave him a weak smile.

"My dad is always busy or travelling, I don't think I ever had his attention for more that ten seconds," she said flatly, "As for my mom, I never met her. She left him a couple of days after my birth."

"My dad left us before my birth. Well, he died, but same thing. So now, my mom is married to a douchebag. She is always working at her shop to feed us, beceause my stepdad is either sleeping, playing poker with other douchebags, or drinking beer with them," he said with a smile. Piper felt astonished. She never thought Percy could have family issues too...

He suddenly passed an arm around her shoulders and pressed her to him.

"Who needs a dad, when you have friends," he said, smiling, "besides, just a few years and you're all free, right?"

Piper felt a warm sensation in her heart. Percy probably didn't always say the right thing, but he had the nice ability to cheer her up.

"O-M-G!" Said a female voice. They both jumped in surprise and turned around to see Nancy at the top of the stairs.

"OMG! You're DATING?!" She yelled. Before any of them could say something, she ran upstairs screaming " PIPER AND JACKSON ARE DATING! OH MY GOD THEY LOVE EACH OTHER!"

As her voice faded, they heard her running to the girls' dorm, probably fearing she hadn't made her point clear enough.

"So much for maturity," muttered Percy. And, not really knowing why, she said, "Yeah, it would be good to have some privacy,"

Her train of thoughts then proceeded to stop in a screeching halt. What did she just say?!

"Uh...I mean..." she said, feeling the heat in her cheeks as they broke apart.

Piper rested her chin on her hand, and, after an uncomfortable silence, a strange thought crossed her mind.

"Did you think about it?" She suddenly asked. Percy stopped contemplating the wall and turned to her, looking mildly surprised.

"About what?" He replieds.

"About what hapenned that night with the big bat and all..." she said.

"Oh! Umm...no, and I still think we shouldn't tell anyone," he responded.

A school trip was organized for the last day; they were going to the Grand Canyon. Piper was sitting in the now familiar schoolbus, with Percy and Grover. She was leaning on her seat, looking through the window and vaguely trying to count her breaths to pass time.

The day was sunny, with no clouds around. It was a perfect day, or it would have been, if it wasn't her last day with her friends.

They arrived at what seemed like...another museum. She hadn't really listened when the teachers told them about the trip, but her hopes gad not been high either.

It's always a museum, thought Piper dully.

They entered said museum, and stopped randomly, or so it seemed to her, before unintersting ingravures. Sometimes, Mr Brunner would give extra informations about the history of each object, but he stopped when he realized it was useless.

A short guy with curly brown hair approached Piper.

"Yo, Piper," he said with a white smile, "Wanna come with Dylan? Don't bother with those loosers, you're lucky today baby!"

Piper didn't have time to argue; he took her arm, and she sent a look to her friends. Grover was nervous as usual, and Percy had a weird expression ; he looked angry, but amused in the same time - probably beceause the guy was much shorter than Piper, and they looked positively ridicoulous.

Wondering if it was some form of assault - she was retained against her will, after all - she tried several times to leave him, but Dylan seemed to follow her everywhere with some real eagerness, and for some reason, her sense of clarity felt blurred after the first try, and she decided it was useless.

They kept roaming around the museum for about half an hour. Then they got out to the interesting part of the trip. It was a large platform, made of glass, so they could see the Grand Canyon under their feets.

Percy was really pleased. He felt in his element in this high platform. But there were still this jealousy bothering him; he simply didn't want to see Piper walking around with that guy. No matter how short he was. On the platform, the teacher gave each of them papers to complete, to "test their knowledge", and half-heartedly added it wasn't an important test, which was an euphemism to 'you can burn it, I don't care'. Percy wasn't able to answer any questions, so he threw it to see how far the winds would take it. After half an hour, the weather became stormy, and the teacher announced they were leaving in five minutes.

Percy didn't care; in fact, he felt delighted to see clouds gathering in the sky, but he decided to go searching for Piper, who was probably still with Dylan.

All of a sudden, the winds became stronger, and the plateform was trembling.

"Hurry inside! You don't want to fall!" shouted Mr. Brunner. The students didn't hesitate, they hurried inside, except for Percy and a few others. Piper and Dylan were holding the doors, which were closing beceause of the winds. As the last teenager entered the museum, and they couldn't hold it anymore, the doors were closed.

"Percy! Come on" Yelled Grover. Percy didn't budge. He had a bad feeling about the short guy.

"Di immortals!" Muttered Grover."I am alone and they are six-"

"Grover," said Mr Brunner's voice. Percy jumped in surprise. He didn't see the latin teacher until he spoke.

"The extractors are coming, we will have to hold for only a few minutes," he said in calm tone. Percy looked at him. He didn't understand a single word.

As for Dylan, he was standing there, a smug smile on his face.

"Help me! We have to open the doors" Yelled Piper, who had a dazed expression. Dylan gave her a disdainful look, and replied casually.

"I don't help anyone."

And, with a hand, he grabbed her by the neck and effortlessly threw her to the doors; she fell on the floor, coughing and obviously trying to catch her breath.

"Piper!" Yelled Percy. He ran toward her, but Mr Brunner caught his arm and stoped him.

"Don't worry, I will go get her. You will have to help Grover. I should have known that this was our monster," Grover nodded nervously, and took out a flute. Percy almost laughed.

In the same moment, Dylan let out a large bleach and started to...transform. He started to become higher and higher... and stopped at nine feet tall. His eyes melted into one, and his muscles became larger that a small tree, tearing through most of his clothes, leaving only - thank God - his short.

This is what the real-life Hulk must be like, Percy thought incoherently.

"A Cyclop," muttered Percy, vaguely aware that he probably looked idiotic, standing there with his mouth open.

"Yah," replied the monster with a hideous grin. Goodbye, white teeth. Next to it, black smoke had gathered and formed six tall figures, and each them was at least a foot taller than Percy.

"Now, I hope you are ready to get smashed."


	3. Chapter 3

**—Percy—**

Percy couldn't believe what he was seeing. A Cyclope, just like the ones in the myths, was running toward him like an elephant. He recovered from his surprise, and jumped out of its way, landing on his back and stopping his fall with his elbows. He immediatly regretted it.

Panting and wincing in pain, he looked warily at the Cyclope. The one-eyed giant grinned again then suddenly lost his smugness; he looked startled for a moment, then he abruptly put his hands on his large ears, obviously in great pain.

Percy couldn't hear anything disturbing, but when he turned, he understood it was Grover: he was playing some kind of soundless song on his flute.

Feeling something like a mini-heart attack, he suddenly remembered Piper, who was still knocked out. He ran toward her, but he didn't get very far; one of Dylan's friends had other plans for him.

This one wasn't a Cyclope...Percy wondered what it was. It didn't have a specific form, it was made of black smoke, and it had the shape of a man with wings. Like an angel.

"Where are you going, demigod? The fun just started," the angel purred. Before he could react, Percy was sent backward. He landed on the grounds, his breath cut, feeling like somebody ripped out his spin and started beating him over the head with it.

Percy painfully got up and looked at the angel, who was gliding toward him, unnafected by the powerful winds.

Behind him, Piper was waking up. She was very pale, but Percy understood what she was going to do, as easily as if she had told him. She jumped on the angel's back and tackled him to the ground. Beautiful, sweet, funny, and violent; Percy wondered if he could date her. He was about to give her a hand when he heard his name. He looked behind and saw Mr Brunner throwing something at him. Surprisingly, Percy caught the object. It was pen. He didn't have time to see if his latin teacher was joking, beceause he heard Piper screaming. The angel had her by the throat, and before she could utter another scream, he threw her in the Grand Canyon.

"Say goodbye to this one."

"Go get her Percy!" Yelled Mr Brunner, who was shooting arrows — God knew where he found them — at the Cyclope, who was now curled up on the floor, shrieking either due to Grover, who still playing on his flute with great concentration, or to the arrows stuck on his back.

"What?! How?" He shouted back, but didn't get any answer. Percy put the pen in his pocket and, without waiting, he jumped after Piper, thinking 'There goes Percy Jackson.'

Percy wasn't afraid of heights, he was afraid of dying when he would crash on the surface. Thinking this was a bad way to die, he fell at superspeed, and felt as if his face was nothing more than a large piece of rubber. In a few seconds, he reached Piper who was desperatly screaming. Percy wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes awaiting for the impact. It didn't hapenn. Only a few seconds after he reached Piper, the winds died down. He openned his eyes. They were floating in mid air, some fifty feet before the grounds.

"P-p-percy," she stuttered. Piper turned to him, their nose almost touching. Her heart was beating so fast that Percy felt it through her clothes.

"H-how did you do that?"

"I didn't do anything," he replied, just as bewildered, "I would have known if I could fly, "

He thought of him climbing in the air. Immediatly, they were lifted higher, and Piper let out a small scream. Percy felt as if he was surfing, and concluded they weren't simply floating.

"The winds are supporting us," he said. Piper raised her eyebrows.

"Well, tell the winds to get us baaaaaaaack!" She said, ypropulsede last word as they were propulsed in the air . They reached the platform in a few seconds and they gently landed on it.

"Piper, you can let go now..." said Percy with a smile. She smiled back sheepishly, but didn't have a chance to talk, as they were both sent on the grounds again by something powerful. They fell on the floor, with Piper on top of him. Percy tried to get up, but he could only get into a sitting position. Piper didn't budge, and her head slid limply on his lap. She was knocked out for good.

Percy gently pushed her aside and got up. The angel wasn't alone anymore; there were five of them now. As for the Cyclope, he was wraped with lianas, Grover beside him, breathing heavily. Mr Brunner, who had apparently ran out of arrows, was by Grover's, side handing him something. Percy took the pen out of his pocket. It was a regular, ball point pen. Percy took out its cap, hoping to see a miracle hapen. Immediatly, the pen grew to a long, sharp bronze sword.

"Ah! So you finnally decided to show up, demigod?" Said one of the angels, and Percy, who had been staring at the sword, looked up. The angel turned to the others and ordered, "Slaughter him!"

One of them raised a smoke-made hand, and a lightning shot out of its fingertips and hit Percy in the chest.

This time however, Percy didn't fall. He didn't even feel any negative sensation; in fact, he felt stronger. The angels looked astonished.

"There was enough to kill twenty men in this one! Who are you?!"

"It's my turn," replied Percy. He raised his sword and charged. The angel barely dodged, but somehow, he got a nasty cut on his cheek. Golden bloods were pouring out of the wound.

"Nice try. But it won't be enough," he spat. He raised his hand again, but suddenly stopped. The others, who were watching with amusement, had the same anxious look on their strange faces.

"Saved by reinforcements," he murmured. "We will meet again, Percy Jackson. I will, however, take this one." He said, gesturing to Grover. Grover didn't have time to run, only to squeal. With incredible speed, the angel lunged toward him, too fast for both Mr Brunner or Percy to act, and engulfred him. A second later, they all disapeared. Mr Brunner approached Percy and put a hand on his shoulder.

Percy felt a chill go down his spin, and in the same time a strange sensation. Had they just...taken Grover?

"Are you alright ?" He asked. Percy looked at him, horror washing down over him.

"If I am...THEY TOOK GROVER!" He shouted. Mr Brunner shook his head.

" Grover knew the risks, he was doing his job."

"His JOB?!" Repeated Percy incredulously, and though he knew it wasn't very kind to scream at his teacher, he didn't care. At the same moment, Percy heard one the sounds he least expected to hear on the platform: horses...and large wings flapping. Percy turned, and felt as if he was going to faint.

"Ah! There they are," said Mr. Brunner, looking satisfied. "The extractor team."

A chariot, pulled by flying horses, was aproaching them. Nothing weird. At all.

"What the hell...?" He started, but was interrupted. A blonde girl, around Percy's age, jumped from the chariot, a dagger in hand. She wore an orange shirt, and blue shorts. She had an athletic built, and she was almost as tall as Percy. She gazed at him with stormy grey eyes, and looked at Mr. Brunner.

"Chiron! Are those the demigods you were looking for?" She asked.

"Yes, Annabeth. This is Percy Jackson, and Piper Mclean," he said gesturing to both of Percy and Piper.

"I don't see Grover...is he..." she started. Mr. Brunner nodded, and she looked down, obviously shocked.

However, she quickly recovered.

"Get in, we don't have time until they come back." Mr Brunner got on the chariot, and Percy, reluctancly followed them, Piper in his arms, the bronze sword back to a pen. There were only one guy on the chariot. He wore a helmet, the same orange shirt as Annabeth. Percy sat in an uncomfortable position, Piper next to him and still unconscious.

"So...can anyone explain what the hell just hapenned," he said after a few minutes. Annabeth turned to him.

"You didn't tell him," she said to the latin teacher. Mr Brunner shook his head, and she sighed.

"You know about Greek Gods, right?" She said. Percy nodded.

"That they go on earth and sire childs?" Percy nodded again. "Well it's true. You are a demigod, just like me, Butch here, and your friend." Percy took a moment to realize what she had said.

"Are you kidding me ?" He said after a moment. His tone was flat, and it wasn't due to his state of mind. Annabeth shook her head.

"Mythological monsters just attacked you, you are in a flying chariot, which is pulled by Pegasis, and you don't believe me?" Percy considered what she just said. It would explain a lot. And what he thought was hallucinations...He decided to think about it later.

"And...where are we going?" He asked.

"Camp Half-Blood," replied Annabeth, "It's the only safe place for us demigods. Beceause when we grow up, mythological monsters try to kill us, as they are attracted by our scent. The stronger your godly parent is, the more monster you attract."

"And you said earlier Grover was doing his job. What is it supposed to mean?"

Annabeth looked sad at the mention of Grover, and it was Mr Brunner who answered.

"Grover was a satyr. Half man, half goat. His job was to protect demigods, like you and Piper. Don't worry. He doesn't have a mortal soul, he'll be reincarnated in a flower or a tree."

Percy remained silent for a good moment. To think that Grover sacrificed himself made him feel...well, not like the happiest person on earth.

"I know you're sad about him, Percy, but there's still a good chance he's still alive, and if he is, we can find him," said Annabeth, having perfectly understood Percy's silence.

Piper took her time to wake up; in fact, Percy had started to worry that she had something serious when she finnally opened her eyes.

Looking pale and frightened, she seemed to have some difficulty to find her words.

"Where...am I?" She finnally asked.

Again, Annabeth explained the whole situation to Piper, who had a much calmer reaction than Percy, which seemed to impress the blonde girl. And then, came the question Percy didn't want to hear again.

"And...how about Grover?"

This time, Piper's calm and collected expression dissapeared, and before anyone could see if she was crying or no, she buried her face in her hands. Again, Annabeth gave her the same words of comfort, and Percy decided to try and change the subject.

"So, do you know who is your godly parent?" He asked.

"My mother is Athena," said Annabeth, "Goddess of wisdom."

"Oh...and how will we know who is ours?" Said Percy.

"When we get to camp, your parent will claim you. It can take some time, but eventually, you'll be claimed," explained Annabeth. Piper looked up, one eyebrow raised.

"Eventually?" She asked in disbelief. Annabeth shrugged.

"Sometimes, the gods forget about us. They are gods after all."

"What great parents are the gods," commented Piper. Annabeth looked at the sky, worried.

"You shouldn't disrespect the gods like that. They can hear you," said Annabeth.

Sure, Percy thought, don't think about us and we won't criticize you, sounds fair.

The chariot kept soaring in the sky for a few hours, until they started to seemingly lose in altitude.

"What's hapenning? Are we there?" Asked Percy.

"No. It's the storm spirits that attacked us. They have minor control over weather and winds...and they hold grudges," said Mr Brunner. Almost immediately, a lightning hit a pegasi. The horse wailed and disapeared in golden dust. The one remaining pegasi couldn't support the weight, and the chariot started falling at an alarming speed, which reminded Percy of his fall in the Grand Canyon.

"We're close enough! The lake! The naiads will help us!" Yelled Annabeth. Percy didn't understand a word of what she had said, but he decided it did't matter. Looking down, he could see they were falling toward a lake, and he remembered that once, his mom told him that falling on water from very high is like falling on stone. He just had enough time to think it would be really stupid to die like that. A moment later, they crashed. The coldness of the water was what shocked him more; his skin broke into goosebumps, and he opened his mouth to scream, but water engulfred in his throat, half-choking him. A moment later — really, it couldn't have been more than a second or two — he was expulsed from the lake and he landed on the grounds, a hundred of faces staring down at him. Percy blinked and got up in a sitting position, still feeling the water in his mouth. He tried to look around, and saw that Annabeth was helping Piper get out of the water. Mr Brunner was still on his wheelchair, unharmed but soaked with water, and Butch was talking with a girl about the Pegasi that got struck by lightning.

"There is it. Camp Half Blood, Long Island," said Annabeth tiredly.

"Long Island?!" Gasped Piper. "You mean we did all the way on this chariot?"

Annabeth nodded.

"Annabeth!" Yelled a voice. Percy turned to see who it was. A scrawny blond guy was making his path through the crowd.

"I said 'borow it', not 'destroy it'!" He exclaimed.

" I am sorry Will, I'll get it fixed, I swear," sighed Annabeth. A beatiful girl with long dark hair aproached. She was about the same age as Annabeth.

"I hope they are worth it," she said with a little grimace.

"Drew, every demigod is worth it," replied Annabeth coldly. Drew gave her an innocent smile, and took Percy's arm, getting him up.

"Come on, honey. I'll be your guide," she said sweetly. Piper's hands curled to fists.

"Let him go, he obviously doesn't want you around," she spat. Drew's smile became even larger, and she completely ignored Piper. Percy, who didn't understand, freed his arm.

"How much time will we stay here?" He asked Annabeth. The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes.

"Okay, someone to take each of them around camp," she said. Drew let out a small giggle, and dragged a confused Percy away.

"Come on Piper. I'll show you around," said Annabeth. Piper was still glaring daggers at Drew, but she followed Annabeth, and comforted herself by thinking Percy didn't sound too happy.

* * *

Piper was amazed by the camp. She really thought it was a wonderful place, with all the activities, and it was an obviously better place to stay at than any boarding school her dad ever sent her to — or at least so it felt to her.

"And those are the cabins," said Annabeth.

The twelve cabins were disposed in a U form, each of them had a number, and none of them had the same built.

"You mean, one for each Olympian?" She asked. Annabeth nodded.

"So they all have kids," she stated.

"No, there are two cabins built just as a symbol. Artemis's, the maiden goddess of the Hunt. And Hera's. She is the goddess of mariage, so she can't cheat on her husband," replied Annabeth. They aproached a cabin, mostly decorated with girly stuff. Piper immediatly pinched her nose.

"What the..." she huffed.

"That's Aphrodite's cabin. Drew is the head counselor."

Piper looked at the cabin in desgust.

"They are not all like her," said Annabeth,"Most of them are pretty nice. Drew is just...childish."

"If you say so."

"Was he your boyfriend?" Asked Annabeth. Piper looked at her curiously, then she understood what Annabeth was pointing at.

"Wha! Uh...no, not at all," she said, blushing. Annabeth gave her a small smile.

"So...Artemis doesn't have any childs?" Piper said, eager to change the subject.

"No. Actually, she despise men in general, and she enjoys turning them to Jackelopes," responded Annabeth.

Piper felt a slight disapointement. She did read a lot of things about Artemis and thought it would be cool to be her daughter.

"But there are Artemis's hunters. A bunch of immortal girls who hunt monsters and go on adventures," said Annabeth.

"Sounds great!" Smiled Piper.

"But they are eternal maidens," precised Annabeth,"No boyfriend. Ever."

"Whoa, forget about it!" Exclaimed Piper. Annabeth laughed.

"Nevermind...so, Mr Brunner is the director?" Asked Piper.

"Call him Chiron. And no, it's not him, it's Mr D.," replied Annabeth, "Mr D. is the wine god. His father, lord Zeus, ordered him to stay at Camp for a century.

Anyway, come this way, we'll get you a weapon."

Piper was at cabin eleven. Anabeth told her she would stay there until she got claimed. Personally, Piper thought the gods were the worst parents of all time. She saw many demigods in the Hermes cabin who looked like they were waiting for a phone call that would never occur. She sat on her bed, and took out the dagger she had chosen. Katoptris. Helen's weapon, which made it kind of...old. Piper looked at her reflection in the blade. She wondered if her dad was worried about her.

* * *

Percy was in cabin eleven, as he was undetermined. It didn't bother him at all. During the following days, he could contact his mom. Chiron told her he was safe and all, and that he would come back a little later than usual. Of couse, he missed his mom, but he felt at home at Camp Half Blood, and, besides, he could spend more time with Piper.

It was a sunny day, he was currently at training for sword fighting, the only activity he was good at. He felt natural with a sword, as if he trained for it his whole life.

"Good! Really good, Percy. You were born with a sword!" Said Chiron, as he desarmed Connor, a son of Hermes, for the fifth time. Percy grinned sheepishly and twirled the sword. God, it did feel natural.

"I doubt he stands a chance against me," said a girl. She was big, tall, and was dressed as though she was a biker. A female one, anyway. Percy grinned.

"And you are?" He said. The girl raised her eyebrows.

"I am Clarrisse, daughter of Ares," she replied, her nose going up in the air.

"I'm Percy Jackson. And you said Ares, like the god of war?"

"Yeah, and I am also known as the newbies' nightmare," she said with a grin, and Percy thought she wasn't kidding.

"No wonder, with such a face," smiled Percy. Clarrisse glared at him, her right hand groping for a dagger on her belt.

"Be sure that I won't spare you in Capture the flag," she snarled.

Percy didn't know what was "Capture the Flag", but he stood emotionless. He didn't like that girl. And he certainly didn't like the way she said it. She gave him a dirty look and walked away. Good God, can't even take a joke.

"What's Capture the Flag?" He asked Connor.

The son of Hermes proceeded to explain to Percy what was the game all about, how the camp was split into two teams, which would try to capture each other's flag.

"We'll probably play today."

Percy shrugged. He wasn't really excited about this.

A few hours later, as Travis predicted, Chiron gave the demigods twenty minutes to prepare and form teams. Percy, who was naturally with the Hermes cabin, didn't listen a lot. He was given a shield and an armor. When the horn blew, signaling the beginning of the game, he leaned to a tree, next to their flag. He was assigned the task to protect the flag. He didn't do or see anything for quite sometime, until an arrow almost struck him. Percy raised his sword and looked around. Obviously, his attackers were hiding. Then, the girl he saw earlier, Clarisse , the daughter of Ares, appeared frop behind the trees. She was quickly followed by three of her siblings. Percy looked at her in defiance. Her smile became even wider, and she raised a spear, glowing red.

"Oh! Look! It's the new guy!" She grinned.

"My...I am actually relieved that you have a brain. Can the others say such long sentences?" He snapped back. Clarisse lost her smile.

"You're gonna die for that, kid," she said venomously.

"Really?" He said, smiling innocently. She let out a roar of anger and charged at him. Percy raised his sword, and the fight started.

Clarisse was actually skilled, but her spear, which was literally charged with electricity, as Percy discovered, was giving him the advantage; each electric charge was like a ten minutes break, and, being completely concentrated on his fight, he only vaguely heard Clarisse's screechings of 'Don't interfere! He's mine!'

Percy blocked the coming spear between his shield and the grounds. Immediatly, he broke it with a quick slash of his sword. Clarisse roared angain and sent him a look of pure hatred that startled Percy for a moment. Her siblings attacked, but he was ready. He hit he first one on the face with his shield. The guy fell with a huge sound in the water with a sickening grunt. The others were all on him, and he was getting tired. They pushed him to the defensive, and he was barly keeping himself alive.

"Not so proud anymore, eh?" Snarled Clarisse. She took her sword and lunged at him. Percy almost got cut in two. He had a nasty wound on the stomach, and he was now starting to panick.

"What are you gonna do, Jackson? Plead for help?" The Ares explosed in laughter. Percy felt his anger boiling. Thunder rumbled and it started raining, heavily.

The demigods were astonished.

"What the hell...it never rains here, and— how...?" Murmured one of Clarrisse's brothers, and he stopped when he saw that the rain wasn't touching Percy. It was forming a perfect circle around him.

"No way!"

Percy didn't let them talk. Just like in the street, when the bat attacked him. He raised his hand and a lightning came down from the heavens. Percy caught it, and held as he would hold a spear.

"Oh hell yeah!"

A moment later, he threw his lighting spear at them, and it exploded, knocking out everyone beside him.

"Determined," murmured a voice. Percy turned and saw Chiron, Annabeth and all the other campers had arrived. The little storm had apparently gotten their attention.

Chiron knelt, and everyone imitated him, even the Ares campers, although they did it reluctantly.

"Percy Jackson, son of Zeus, lord of the sky and king of the gods."

The following day, Chiron transfered him to cabin one.

* * *

Everyone was now distant. They were avoiding Percy as if he was dangerous. Even Clarrisse was. The only person who still talked to him was Piper.

All of a sudden, the joy he felt at camp disapeared, beceause he was suposed to be the son of Zeus. Percy didn't like the cabin one. It was cold, empty, and worst of all, there was a statue of Zeus looking at him as if he was an ant. Percy was on his bed. He really hated to be rejected like that. He was deep in thoughts when someone knocked, and a satyr entered.

"Yeah?" Said Percy.

"Chiron wants to see you," he replied, and quickly got out.

Percy sighed, and got up. He walked to the Big house, where Chiron was awaiting for him.

"Sit Percy, we have something to tell you." He said, gesturing to a chair.

Percy sat down and looked at the old man.

"Percy, your father's masterbolt has been stolen," said Chiron.

"My father's...what?" Asked Percy.

"His Masterbolt. His symbol of power. And now, a quest will be organized to find it. You will go, as you are his son. You can choose two other demigods to come with you."

It took him a while to understand what Chiron just said.

"You mean, I am here for only two weeks, and you send me to a quest? Heck, I don't even know what's a quest!"

The centaur shook his head.

"Your father required it. He thinks Poseidon did it, and he threatens war if no one brings him his masterbolt back," Chiron paused for a minute.

"You mean...desarmed Zeus wants war...and armed Zeus wants peace," said Percy slowly. Chiron nodded.

"Is he stupid?"

Chiron looked at the sky, worried.

"Percy, you can't define the king of the gods by 'stupid'. Corrupted by power, maybe. Anyway, you have three days to get ready. Choose your companions wisely, but first of all, you must go see the Oracle."

"And where is the Oracle?" Asked Percy.

"It's upstairs. When you come back, we'll discuss what you heard, assuming you will still be sane," said Chiron. Percy gulped, and had time to think about the cheesiness of the situation. He got up and climbed the wooden stairs. The place was full of armor, weapons and all sorts of weird objects. In the middle, something was sitting on a chair. At first, Percy thought it was a mannequin, but it turned out to be a dead body. Covered with bandages, wearing necklaces, and looking like the deadest thing Percy had ever seen. He wanted to throw up.

He approached and waited for something to happen. Immediately, the eyes of the dead body became green, and mist escaped its mouth.

"Um...hi. Good weather, huh?" He said with a heroic squeal. He immediatly felt stupid.

"So, what's my destiny?" He asked shyly. The zombie opened its mouth and talked in a raspy voice, and Percy had really to restrain himself from puking when he saw something like a large cockroache where its tongue should have been.

"A son of the Elder Gods, shall go west,

and find the stolen weapon.

The Crooked One is escaping,

Through the corrupted god.

A battle for the fate of Olympus,

Against the cursed ones."

Then it closed its mouth and lost the green glow.

Percy carefully took a step back, and he got out, stunned.

Chiron was waiting for him downstairs. Percy eventually told him what he heard.

Chiron only scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"So? That's it?" Asked Percy.

"I believe so," replied Chiron evenly.

"Really? I mean, that stinking prophecy didn't even rhyme!" Sputtered Percy.

"A son of the elders...it must be you, as you're a child of the Big three: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. You will choose who will accompagn you and leave in three days," said Chiron. Percy could only nodd, and he left to his cabin.

* * *

A few hours later, at the camp fire, Percy was eating alone at his table, thinking of his so called quest. When they burned the sacrifices, Chiron asked for their attention.

"Listen to me everyone," he said, and immediatly, all the voices died down.

"Percy, come here."

Percy got up, anxious. He could feel all the eyes on him. Chiron put a hand on his shoulder.

"Percy will go on a quest. He will need two brave ones to come with him. Who is volunteering?" He said. No answer, and Percy felt embarassed. Nobody?

"I am," said a short, old looking satyr. Percy never talked to this guy, but he still was thankfull. Chiron nodded.

"I volunteer!" Said Piper and Drew in the same time.

"Oh come on! I am much more useful! I can be very persuasive, you know? Besides, Piper here can't even fight, she'll be a weight, trust me," said Drew. Campers started to agree, and mostly say how darn persuasive Drew was, but Piper didn't let go.

"Are you kidding? You spend all day before a mirror, you can't react against danger!" She exclaimed. Most campers nodded again at Piper with an empty look.

"I know about quests more than you, hon. And I can't fight, but I charmspeak . You can't fight, nor you can charmspeak. You're not even claimed!" Replied Drew, with her innocent smile and a giggle that was like a fork in Piper's ear.

But a moment after she said "claimed", many gasps were let out by campers. Piper didn't understand why, until she looked at herself. She was in a magnificent satin dress, a red aura glowing around her. Even Percy was shocked.

"Piper...you're a knock out!" He stuttered, while Drew had a horrified expression. In other words, Piper couldn't be happier, if she wasn't wearing a dress with everyone staring at her. Chiron nodded and bowed as he did for Percy.

"Determined." He said. "Piper Mclean, daughter of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty."


	4. Chapter 4

**—Percy—**

Everyone bowed, and Percy quickly did the same. He had always thought Piper was attractive, but that was different; T-shirts and jeans did not, apparently, give off the same effect as the dress she was wearing right now.

Drew was the first camper to recover from the surprise.

"It doesn't change anything!" She screamed. "It-"

"Enough. I don't care," Percy interrupted her, "Piper is my friend, and I'd rather go on a quest with someone I trust," which resulted in said friend to blush and smile.

Drew sat down, the distinct look of the kid who didn't get his way on her face, while Chiron cleared his throat.

"So we have our heroes then. Percy Jackson, Gleeson Hedge and Piper Mclean will go on a quest to retrieve Lord Zeus's Masterbolt. Remember you have until the summer solstice, in ten days," he said, and Percy's eyes widened.

"Ten days?! That's—" he sputtered, then realized everyone was looking at him. "Err... I mean...Ten days? That's too much time!"

"You have at most three days before leaving. Do not rush it, Percy, and prepare yourself. Your main problem is how you will go. You have Poseidon and Hades, both powerful gods on the land, and one of them sending monsters after you. Flying would be the best option," the centaur advised, his serene expression unchanged.

"I don't think I can fly three people for hours," replied Percy casually.

"Well, don't count on Pegasis. We use them to take unclaimed demigods here since the chariot is broken," said Annabeth, "Maybe the Heaphaestus cabin can get you something."

A small murmur started at the Hephaestus table, and the head counselor stood up. "In three days? No. It's impossible. You'll have to find something else."

Percy nodded and tried not look freaked out. Which was, indeed, difficult.

"Uh...excuse me, I have to...go for a walk," he murmured. Chiron raised his eyebrows, and Percy left to his cabin, aware that everyone was staring at him.

He entered cabin one, and sat on the closest bed, holding his head. He looked up, glancing absently at his surrounding, and suddenly noticed something. There were pictures, on one of the beds. Percy got up and grabbed the small pile. Obviously, pictures of a demigod; he could recognize parts of the Camp in the backgrounds of each picture, and some of them even featured Annabeth, posing with a girl who was clearly a very close friend. The girl had dark, spiky hair, and from what he could see on a close-up on her face, she had piercing blue eyes.

"That's Thalia," said a voice. Percy jumped in surprise and turned around. It was Annabeth.

"Sorry I scared you," She said.

"Nevermind," replied Percy, vaguely surprised that he hadn't heard her come in, "So, who is she?"

"A daughter of Zeus. One of my friends, she is the first demigod I met. She left and became a huntress of Artemis when we reached the Camp, a few years ago. She is now half immortal," explained Annabeth, sitting next to him.

Percy looked at the picture quietly. Then realization dawned on him. "She is my sister?"

"Yes," replied Annabeth softly, "half-sister, actually."

"Oh. And who brought those picture here?" He asked, vaguely wondering if he'd ever meet her.

"She lived for a few weeks here before leaving."

Then, without a warning, Annabeth quickly got up, a serious expression on her face.

"Anyway, I came here to warn you. You'll be facing a lot of monsters on your quest, and since you're starting it with almost no knowledge, I hope you do have a plan. Zeus not having his masterbolt back may result on a war between the gods. I know it's hard, but it rests on your shoulder."

Percy didn't find anything to answer to that, but it didn't seem to bother Annabeth; as quickly as she entered, she got out. Percy sighed, and leaned on his bed, thinking of his quest. He tried to close his eyes and shove all thoughts of incoming war out of his mind, but to no avail. Feeling more and more constricted by the grim atmosphere of the place, he decided that he couldn't stand being there any longer.

Percy got up, openned the door and got out. Everyone was still eating, and they didn't seem to notice him. He walked to the woods as quietly as possible, relieved the campers weren't staring expectantly at him anymore. Percy sighed again and looked up, hoping to see a sign from his father. He thought there were very high chances that his so-called dad wouldn't make any sign, and of course Percy wasn't disapointed.

"Hi," said a voice. Percy turned around, starting to feel pretty irritated at people sneaking up on him, and saw Piper, still in dress and as gorgeous as ever. His irritation faded, and was replaced with a strange sensation of embarassement.

"Hey," he said, trying to look relaxed, but it was hard to talk with Piper when she was dressed like that.

"It was really nice what you said there," said Piper, smiling lightly.

"Uh...yeah. I-I really mean it. I want you in the quest," he replied, smiling back. She nodded and Percy saw the embarassement in her face. It was exactly what hapenned for him. She got claimed, and now everyone was acting as though she was a newcomer again.

They walked back together and sat before a fire in silence.

"Do you have any idea of how we could fly for almost the entire quest?" asked Percy after a few minutes of searching for something to say.

"No...I don't know. Maybe—"

She was cut off when the satyr who had volunteered to help them, Gleeson Hedge, plopped himself right next to Percy, wielding a very large baseball bat.

"So kids, you will go on a quest. Finally some action!" he groaned, "What we will do first? Kill monsters?"

Percy was rather surprised by Gleeson Hedge, and didn't know what to say. One look at Piper, and he knew she shared his mind.

"Um...we don't even know how we will go on this quest," said Piper, "Chiron said we will be chased by monsters on land, so-"

Once again, she was cut off.

"Come on! What is better than monsters chasing you everywhere? It keeps you awake!" yelled Hedge, gathering the attention of many nearby campers.

"Yeah, sure, but it's not good for speed. We have only ten days," said Percy, "Do you have any idea of what we could use to fly...?"

Hedge shook his head, and grabbed a flower he started eating. Percy sighed and looked at the fire.

"Hey, we'll find a way, don't worry," said Piper, patting his shoulder. Percy looked at her and nodded, while Gleeson Hedge stared at them. Or at least, so Percy thought, until he made an exagerated greeting gesture by swinging his bat, and Percy and Piper both ducked their heads to avoid getting hit.

Gleeson got up, and Percy saw he was heading towards a small bunch of satyrs who were calling him , all the while chewing a plate he had taken on a table.

"Strange guy, isn't he?" said Percy. Piper nodded and shievered.

"You must feel cold in that dress," he told her.

"Yep. My own mother steals my clothes, do you believe that?" she replied, rubbing her arms.

Percy grabed a nearby cover and wraped her around it.

"Feel better?" Said Percy. Piper nodded. Percy looked at his friend. He like her a lot. He really had to ask her out before someone with more guts would beat him to. After most of the campers went to sleep, Percy walked with her to the Aphrodite cabin, then, after a mumbled 'good night', he went to the Zeus one. Not bothering changing his clothes, he threw himself on the closest bed. However, it seemed Annabeth wasn't done telling him good news; before he could fall asleep, she openned the door and called for him.

"Percy, Chiron wants to tell you something, come at the Big House."

He couldn't help it; he groaned. Annabeth cast him a stern look and got out. Percy got up half-heartedly and went to the Big House. Once he was inside, he saw the centaur was waiting for him, and he sat down on the chair Chiron getsured to.

"Percy, do you know what you are doing?" he asked."Do you have a plan? Or will you search blindly in the west?"

Percy blushed. It was honestly the only thing he had been able to think of.

"I advise you to ask Eole for help. He surely knows where to find the Masterbolt," continued Chiron.

"Wait, who is Eole?"

"The wind god," responded Chiron, "He knows and sees a lot of things, and he will be willing to help you if you give him something, or help him."

"And...what can I do to help a god?" Demanded Percy, not sure how he felt about this plan.

"Well, as an example, you could bring him storm spirits, like the ones that attacked you at Grand Canyon. You see, he has to keep them under control, and storm spirits hate being caged."

"And, where is this guy?" asked Percy.

"That's the tricky part. I don't know where he is, but Boreas knows. He is in Quebec. Ask him where you can find his Lord, and he should tell you if you say you are on a quest for Zeus."

"How do I find storm spirits? How do I catch them, even?"

"You sure have a lot of questions," Chiron rubbed his chin absently, "You may very well find some in Chicago. They generate all the natural and unnatural storms mortals talk about."

"Wait, Chicago? Shouldn't I go west, like the prophecy said?" He asked.

"Percy, prophecies have wrapped meanings. Don't think too much about it, but use your logic."

"And how about the unnatural storms?"

"Yes. You didn't notice beceause you are here, within the barriers of Camp. The storm spirits are more active beceause they do not fear punishement from lord Zeus anymore. Even when he had his bolt, they tended to step out of the line sometimes. Now, they are acting as they please," Chiron explained.

Probably understanding what Percy wanted to know by his incredulous expression, Chiron elaborated further.

"Zeus gets most of his power from his Masterbolt, Percy. Without it, he is as weak as a minor god. It is his symbol of power. This is why he is so serious about it, his brothers can easily overthrow him now."

"So, I go to Boreas, he tells me where Eole is, then I catch storm spirits, exchange them for informations, and then I go to find the Masterbolt?" Resumed Percy. Chiron nodded.

"And how do I catch them? Aren't they wind made?" He asked.

"Well, you are the son of Zeus. As you know, you have control over winds, so with somme efforts, you can make them enter a magical container," responded Chiron. "Which is up to you to find," he added.

"Also, you must find a transport. You won't be safe on earth with Hades and Poseidon after you."

"How the hell can I do all that?" Asked Percy, barely containing his ressentment. Chiron looked at him with a mix of pity and sadness.

"No quest is easy. If you succeed, you will gain a lot, but if you fail, I will not hide you the fact that it will cause an apocalypse," he replied simply.

Percy didn't want to hear more, he wanted to leave.

"Can I go now?" He asked. Chiron nodded, not at all bothered, and Percy got up. He openned the door and got out of the Big House. He went to his cabin where he walked in circles, thinking, but not getting anywhere, until he was too tired to keep his eyes open, and fell asleep on a bed.

* * *

Percy woke up with a jolt, as suddenly as he would have if someone had screamed in his ear.

He got up and changed his clothes. He put on a black T-shirt and jeans and looked at his reflection in Zeus's shield, which deformed him in a sort of funny way.

"Care to help me?" he said. No answer.

"Thanks, dad," he groaned and got out. Everyboy was asleep, and the silence gave Percy a sensation of inner peace. Immediatly, the thoughts of yesterday came back to him. He walked to the woods. He thought of the prophecy. He knew now what to do, asking the wind gods for help...well, the transport was the problem. Chiron told him that Zeus's brothers would kill him outside of camp. Percy was desperatly thinking of a way to get out of this, when he suddenly noticed something. He had walked without looking where he was going, and it resulted him to get lost, and judging by what he could see around him, he was outside of camp borders. The surrounding trees were mostly burned, and the utter silence made it clear there was no nature spirit around. He kept walking, curious. He arrived at some point where there was only ashes and burned wood. The entrance of a cave, right before him. Percy took out his pen, in case he had to defend himself, and slowly entered.

"Hello?" He said, his voice echoing. A loud growl answered. Percy took several steps back, and got out. He waited there, curious to see what was the creature inside, vaguely aware of his sheer stupidity. He regretted it. The head of a dragon emerged from the cave, followed by its enormous body. The beast was in every way deadly; its head was almost as long as Percy's whole body, and the grey colored scales gave off a sense of unequaled hardness. Its fangs were as long as Percy's sword, and the head and tail were covered with spikes.

Percy stared at the beast, excitement, fear and amazement knotting his stomach.

All of a sudden, the dragon's massive palm lunged toward him and tried to squash him, and Percy reacted faster than he could think; he jumped aside, and with one sharp motion shoved his sword between the dragon's fangs. It roared in anger, and Percy had to use great winds to protect himself from the fire that escaped the dragon's mouth. Percy summoned the winds again and jumped in the air, away from the monster. Bad idea. The dragon spread its enormous wings and lifted itself at Percy's level. Feeling that he was screwed, Percy suddenly remembered the comforting sky above them. He raised his hand, concentrated, and thunder boomed. A moment later, Percy propulsed himself to the dragon and landed on its back. The dragon roared. This time, Percy raised his sword, and plunged it in the dragon's shoulder, while a white arc of electrecity struck it as if it were a lightning rod. The dragon fell, and they both landed heavily on a burned tree, Percy on top. He raised his sword again, and, as he was about to deliver the final strike, Percy looked at the dragon. A crazy idea poped up in his mind : it could be his transport, and it also made Percy feel bad to think that he provocated this creature, and now killed it, for no reason. Carefully, he lowered his sword and turned it to a pen. He got on the dragon's neck. The monster let him do it, either too weak to react, or willingly.

Percy remembered that Annabeth told him once that monsters understood ancient greek. Not too sure about it, Percy muttered to the dragon the order to fly. Immediatly, it spread its wings, and they were both lifted high in the sky, Percy almost loosing his balance and falling.

The spikes on the creature's back were long parted, which provided an excellent seat, and Percy highly doubted he could be this lucky. But there was no time to look for something else and besides, they were in the sky: even if the beast turned on him, he could neutralize it.

— Piper —

Piper was woken up by the sound of thunder. She got up and sat on her bed. She remembered what happened yesterday, and caught a mirror. Still beautiful. Piper moaned. After Percy had left to his cabin, she had tried everything: pulling her hair, crying to smear the make up...nothing. She felt like a barbie doll.

"Oh darling, even mom's bless didn't make you presentable?" Said Drew from the other side of the room. Her siblings laughed softly, but Piper didn't care. She had met dozens of people like that, and it didn't matter to her what they thought.

"Don't worry honey. You think you don't look like a daughter of Aphrodite?" Drew smirked. "Oh, we agree, right, Mitchell?"

One of the guys flinched, and nodded.

"Good for you. We have ten minutes until breakfast, and the cabin won't clean itself. Mitchell, since you got the lesson, you'll clean only today. Show Piper how to do it by the way, I feel she will do it a lot if she survives her so called quest. As for me, I'll take a shower."

Immediatly, everyone started, while Drew went to the bathroom. They heard a little scream, then a little girl was pushed out, her hair still wet, a towel hastily wraped around her. The girl burst into tears while the door was closed. Two older girls comforted her, not looking in the least bit surprised by Dree's behavior, and dried her hair.

"You guys really let Drew treat you like that?" Asked Piper to no one in particular. Many if them gave her worried looks, but no one answered. Piper sighed softly and looked at her bed. She didn't have much to do. Her bed was simple, and the cover was actually the one that Percy gave her yesterday. She took it and burried her face in it, and she smelled the boy's odor. Fresh air, as if a cold wind blew, and rain.

"Excuse me," said a small voice. Piper looked down and saw Mitchell on the floor, gathering little pieces of paper and other trash.

"Why did Drew make you do this?" She asked, feeling mildly curious.

"Because after you got claimed, I said you weren't that much of a freak," he replied casually. Piper was surprised that an Aphrodite had stood up for her. Okay, it wasn't the compliment of the century, but still.

"Thank you," she said. Mitchell shrugged.

"Look where it got me...Welcome to cabin ten anyway," he said grimly.

"And...why do you guys obey her?" Demanded Piper, deciding he seemed friendly enough to answer her.

"She's the head counselor," replied a girl behind her just as Mitchell opened his mouth, and Piper jumped in surprise.

"I am Lacy," added the girl.

"Piper," she said, smiling. They shook hands.

"Drew is the oldest. See, only a camper who completed a quest can challenge her, and none of us have done that. She's been our head counselor since our last one left camp. Since then, Drew has been bringing changes to the way things go here..."

"Exactly."

Lacy yelped and tried to run away, but Drew caught her forearm and looked down at Mitchell.

"Mitchell, I think you let some trash there. Why don't you check again?" She said sweetly.

Mitchell glared at her, but he simply snapped, "Okay."

"See?" Said Drew. "We are a big happy family! What we do is pairing the campers together, and then we break the couples. After that we restart! It is so funny! Quests or wars, it isn't our thing."

Lacy shyly raised her hand.

"Yesterday you wanted to join the quest-"

But she stopped talking before Drew's cold glare.

"Anyway, you're leaving, it's too bad. But if you survive, don't worry, I will find you someone. Maybe on of those Hephaestus kids, they are pretty repulsive..." she said, and looked at Piper with disgust and pity. "I never thought Aphrodite could have ugly kids...who's your dad? Is he a monster or something?"

Piper wanted to reply, but she didn't. She hated showing off.

"Are you guys done yet? Good. We can go now," said Drew. She got out, and everyone quickly followed her. Piper stayed last and changed her clothes. She wore an orange T-Shirt, and blue shorts. After trying to put her hair in the mess it usually was, and failing, Piper got out. She sat at the Aphrodite table, as far from Drew as she could, and looked around. Percy wasn't there.

"Where is Percy?" She wondered out loud.

"Oooooh...Someone's got a crush," giggled a girl. Piper rolled her eyes; her siblings had nothing in common with her.

"Whatever." Piper got up, took her plate and burned the food.

"Aphrodite," she mumbled, not too sure about it. Then she walked away, to the cabin one. But before she reached it, she heard screams behind her. Piper turned and yelped. A huge dragon had landed ten feet away from her. Piper was paralyzed by fear. She saw the Ares campers taking spears and swords, ready to kill the beast.

"Guys! Guys! It's okay! We came in peace!" Yelled a voice. It was Percy's. The campers stopped, surprised. Immediatly, someone jumped from the dragon's back.

"Don't shoot at my car!" yelled the boy. The dragon growled, and Percy grinned.

"Percy!" said Chiron, walking toward him in centaur form. "What is this?"

"Who is this," corrected Percy, "I found him in the forest, and he is pretty friendly."

Chiron scratched his chin.

"I do not really know how safe this is, Percy. Dragons are unpredictable. He might kill you on a moment's notice," he said.

"Well, it's all we have. Unless you have another solution?" replied Percy, looking around. Nobody answered.

"Cool. We'll take...um...Festus-"

"Festus? That means 'happy' in Latin," said Annabeth. "You want to go prevent a war of the gods on happy dragon's back?"

"Why not?" Smiled Percy.

"So you will leave now?" asked the centaur. Percy nodded.

"No time to waste. Besides, I think I will follow your plan. Just need to take our package," Percy said, and Chiron turned to a satyr and mumbled something.

"That's the spirit!" shouted Gleeson Hedge.

Piper was feeling a knot of excitement and fear, and she could only smile, and after exchanging a look with Percy, she went to her cabin to change her clothes.

She only had T-Shirts and shorts, not really the best to go on a quest.

"Here. I have been keeping it for some time, but since I don't go on quests..."

Piper turned and saw Lacy, handind her a jacket, a collared button-up shirt, jeans, and a pair of boots.

Piper thanked her, and quickly changed her clothes.

"Good luck. Oh, and take this," added Lacy, giving her a backpack. "There is nectar, ambrosia, food, and additionnal clothes."

"Thanks for everything," replied Piper, taking it, feeling a growing affection for the girl.

"It's nothing, really," smiled Lacy.

The two daughters of Aphrodite got out of their cabin, ans headed towards the crowd that had gathered around the dragon.

Percy and Hedge were waiting next to Festus, each of them carrying a backpack similar to Piper's.

"Ready?" asked Percy as soon as he saw her.

"Hell yeah!" she replied, and with that, the three of them got on tge dragon.

Piper sat between Hedge and Percy, with Percy behind her. Piper hoped he would wrap his arms around her waist, but saddly, he didn't.

"Hang on!" murmured Percy. A moment later, Festus was high in the sky, and the last thing Piper saw was Lacy waving at her, while Drew was casting her a venomous look.

* * *

Riding on a dragon's back was a great experience; Piper had never felt so good. She heard Percy complaining that he was getting Piper's hair in the face, and she put her hood on. On the way, Percy explained them his plan.

"All that in nine days?" asked Piper.

"Two days at most to ask Boreas, two days to find storm spirits, bring them to Eole and ask him to give us informations, and then we go find that damn bolt," replied Percy.

"So, how do we find the storm things?" She said.

"Chiron told me they are all in Chicago, mocking Zeus beceause he doesn't have the power to punish them anymore."

"Wait, you want to fly in Chicago with a dragon? Don't you think people will see us?" She said.

"No. The mist will hide us," replied Gleeson. Both demigods looked at him curiously.

"What's that?" Asked Percy.

"Magic. It hides our world to the mortals," he replied, "Hecate created it with the help of the gods."

"So, you're sure it will hide us?" Asked Piper. Hedge scratched his chin, and then shook his head. "I don't really know."

"Don't you think we'd better go West like the prophecy said?" Asked Piper.

"Honestly, I figured that if the prophecy'd any good, Eole will tell us to go somewhere West to find the Masterbolt," confessed Percy.

Silence fell upon them, and all what could be heard was the winds blowing, and sometimes Festus' s wings. Piper didn't have a watch, but she felt they were flying for hours, freezing in the cold winds. She looked down at the land and remembered the day in the Grand Canyon, when Percy saved her.

"Are we there yet?" She asked.

"With our current speed, we'll get there in a few hours," replied Percy, "I think. I don't know where Quebec is exactly, but I told Festus to go to Boreas's palace, and he went north. Looks like Hedge is asleep," he added.

Piper looked at the satyr. He was indeed sleeping.

"Do you think we should wake him up? He could slip and fall."

"Nah. Let him sleep, and if he falls, I'll catch him," assured Percy. Piper stared at him, then burst out of laughing.

"What's so funny?" Asked Percy, confused.

"You two will look like Superman and Louis together."

She knew it wasn't even remotely true, but the thought of Percy carrying the satyr while flying was hilarious to her. Percy shook his head.

"Nope. He is not my type," he replied. They laughed again, and caused Hedge to wake up.

"Die!" He yelled, reaching for his baseball bat.

"Rest, Mr Hedge. There is nobody around," said Percy, "but since you woke up, I guess we can rest now?"

"What? Yeah...of course I am...sleep, ya lovebirds, I'll be guarding," he said. Piper wasn't really tired, so she looked up at the sky. Somewhere, her dad was probably looking for her... or maybe he wasn't worried and didn't even know when her school ended.

Piper was hungry. She was about to take her backpack, when something touched her back and she jumped in surprise. Piper looked around her, and saw Percy, snoring, sleeping on her shoulder. In other words, it was one of her life's happiest moment.

— Percy —

Percy was still tired when Piper woke him up. He felt as if he slept for a few minutes, but the sun was already setting.

Before him, a city on the edge of a mountain. Snow was covering the lands, and shining in the sunset. Walls were circling the city, like in medieval times, and there was even a castle in the center.

"Tell me we're in Quebec land, and not in Santa's workshop," he said.

"We're indeed in Quebec. One of the oldest cities in north America, founded in 1600's," said Piper.

"Did your dad play in a movie about it ?" Asked Percy. Piper shook her head.

"Daughter of Aphrodite doesn't equal stupid," she replied. Percy raised his hands in surrender.

"I didn't say that. So, what's that castle?" He said.

"A hotel, I think," she responded. Percy laughed, but when they got closer, he had to admit she was right. Suddenly, Festus stopped.

As surprising as it was, two angels with purple wings were flying toward them, holding ice swords. One of them was a large beefy guy, and looked like he had gotten hit in the face way too much. He was dressed like a hockey player, which seemed incredibly out of context. The other was thin, small, and was built like a Jockey. He was probably going for a Love-God effect with his white button-up shirt and jeans, but since he was scrawny and covered with acne, it was a fail.

"You cannot fly here," he said with a strong french accent, "it is a reserved space."

"Kill?" Asked the big one with a toothless smile. The dragon growled and Percy took out his pen sword, while Hedge was already swinging his batt.

"Die!" Yelled the satyr.

"Wait, stop. Can I get to know who is going to kill me?" Said Piper, lightly quivering with a mix of apprehension and adrenaline.

"I am Cal," groaned the big one, looking like he was trained to repeat that sentence.

"Short for Calaïs,"said the love god, " but since my brother cannot pronounce words with more than two syllabes, we call him Cal."

"Pizza! Hockey! Kill!" Added Cal. "I am Cal, and this is my brother, Zetes!"

"Man! That's almost three sentences! Hang on!" Said Percy. Cal groaned, clearly proud of himself.

"They are making fun of you, idiot," muttered his brother. "I am Zetes, and the lady here can call me whatever she wants." He added, giving Piper a look. "Maybe she would like a date before we kill you?"

She choked and almost fell off Festus's back.

"This sounds like...a lame proposition," she stammered.

But Zetes wasn't bothered.

"Oh...playing hard to get! No problem, we sons of Boreas are very romantic!" He declared.

"Wait, you are the sons of Boreas?" Asked Percy.

"Ah, it seems you heard of us. We guard our father's domain. We cannot let demigods on a dragon scare the mortals," he said, gesturing to the grounds. Piper looked down and saw that many people started to point at them. "Unless there is an emergency, of course," added Zetes.

"Kill?" Said Cal, his tone hopeful. Zetes nodded.

"B-But it is an emergency!" Pleaded Piper, charmspeak literally dripping from her voice.

"Oh!" Said Cal, and Percy almost felt sorry for him.

"And how so?" Asked Zetes.

"We must meet Boreas now!" She replied, and forced a smile. Percy wasn't sure it was gonna work, but Piper still had Aphrodite's bless, and she was beautiful. Zetes flinched, and ran his hand through his horrible hair.

"I don't want to deceive a beautiful girl, but my sister might-"

"And our dragon is tired!" She added with a seductive smile. Again Zetes flinched and almost dropped his sword.

"You are gorgeous...err, right. I mean you're right. Follow us," he said, obviously trying to look calm and collected.

Percy ordered Festus to follow them, but he kept his pen in his hand. He wasn't sure they could trust these guys.

The hotel tower's roof openned, and they entered through it. Festus landed in a frozen place. The grounds, the couch, the furnitures; everything pointed that it could have been very luxual living room, without all the ice.

"Heat it up, and I can live here," said Hedge. Piper shievered.

"I wouldn't," she said. Festus apparently felt the cold, and openned his mouth. Zetes jumped toward them.

"No fire allowed!" He said. "If you can't order your dragon to stay calm, we'll get it out!" Festus growled, and Zetes took a step back.

"Calm down bud," said Percy. The dragon growled again but closed its mouth.

"Come here now, my father will meet you," said a voice. Percy turned and saw a magnificent girl standing on the ice stairs. She wore a white satin dress, her skin was pale and she had brown hair and eyes.

"So we let them live?" Asked Zetes.

"And guard their dragon, but don't kill it." She said, looking at Cal.

"Not even a little?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No."

Percy looked at Festus, and muttered him the order to stay calm. The dragon blinked, with a little luck, to say he understood.

"Follow me." Said the girl.

Percy didn't know how the ice could support his weight, but he still followed her with Piper and Hedge. Zetes took his ice sword and walked next to Piper, offering her his stairs, there was a frozen hallaway. They walked to the large door, until the girl stopped.

"You will now meet Boreas, the god of the North wind. Watch your manners, he doesn't like visitors." She said.

"And you are?" Asked Piper. The ice princess sighed.

"I wasn't very famous between the greeks. They lived far away from my domains. I am Chione, daughter of Boreas and goddess of snow." She replied. Then she pushed the door and they entered.

If the hallaway wasn't cold, this room was like a freezer. Percy shievered and saw his breath. There were many ice statues of warriors and soldier. But when Percy tried to pass them, they crossed their spears and he stopped. A voice was heard, and the statues came back to their original position. There was a white throne before him, where a man sat. Chione and Zetes immediatly bowed. Percy, Piper and Hedge quickly did the same. The man before them was wearing a white costume, and his white beard and hair looked like ice. He had Chione's eyes, but he seemed nicer. He had large purple wings and he was looking at them curiously.

"Welcome to my domain." He said in french. "I am the king Boreas, and you?"

Chione was about to talk, but Piper beat her to.

"Your highness." She replied in french. "I am Piper Mclean. This Gleeson Hedge and Percy Jackson."

Percy stared at her, while the king smiled.

"Piper, you know french?" He asked. Piper seemed surprised.

"No...why?" She said.

"You just replied to the king in french."

Piper's eyes widenned, and the king told her something, and she replied in french "Yes, your highness."

The king clapped his hands and laughed. Chione looked offended.

"The king says..." she started.

"That I am the daughter of Aphrodite. French is the language of love and I talk it naturally."

"And why," said Percy. "Does a greek god talk french?"

Piper talked with the king and she turned to Percy.

"He says that he talks the language of the country he stays in. Most of the gods talk english beceause they are in the USA." She said.

She had another exchange with the god, and her expression became horrified.

"The kings says...he says..."

"That he will have to kill you. Did I forget to mention it?" Said Chione with a cold smile. Percy felt his heartbeat speed up, and his grip on his pen tightened, while Hedge lifted his batt and yelled "Die!"

"But why?" Asked Piper in a trembling voice. The king got up.

"Beceause I am ordered to." He said with a french accent. "I will talk to you in your language beceause Piper Mclean honored me in mine. I always liked the children of Aphrodite."

"Who ordered you?" Asked Percy, looking for an escape. The king frowned, as if he tried to remember something.

Chione's smile grew even wider, and Zetes jumped on his feet.

"If you kill them, I want the girl!" He said as if he was a three years old crying for sweets. Chione approached and put a hand on Percy's neck.

"You can be my champion. A wonderful gift." She stuttered in his ear.

"Stop now, or our guests will think you are spoiled." Said Boreas, his thoughtful expression dissapearing. "We don't always keep demigods for you. I believe thoose ones will be good with all the statues here."

Piper yelped and Hedge glared at Boreas.

"You mean they are demigods?" She squealed, pointing to the ice statues. The king nodded.

Percy shievered and electrecity coursed through his body, shocking Chione and sending her ten meters away, where she landed on her butt. She stood up, furious, and glared murderously at him. Zetes's eyes widened and the king laughed.

"Good one." He said, claping his hands. "Even if I will have to kill you now-"

"Enough!" Said Percy, and thunder boomed so loud that some pieces of ice fell on the grounds while the room was shaken. It was his fault if they ended up like toys to the children of Boreas, and he wasn't going to allow it.

"Enough." He repeated. "We are on a quest for Zeus himself, you will not kill us or make us stay, unless you want the king of the gods to come here and kick your ass."

Boreas seemed taken a back by this, and he lost his smile. He was staring at Percy.

"You are a son of Zeus? Well, the king of the gods is in a weak state. He is not interested in your fate. You think you could get away with such an excuse?" He said, in a strange tone.

Percy panicked. He didn't know what to do. Using his powers wasn't tiring him, but he couldn't battle three immortals, son of Zeus or not. He uncaped his pen, while Gleeson was waiting for the signal to attack, and Piper took out her dagger. At the same moment, Cal errupted in the throne room, his clothes smoking.

"Bad dragon!" He yelled.

Before any of them could move, the roof exploded, and the room heated up.

It was Festus.

Percy was never so happy to see somebody. The dragon lunged toward them and a torrent of fire came out of his mouth, melting the statues and the grounds. Festus sent the children of Boreas flying away with a hit of his tail, and Boreas himself backed off, stunned.

"Get on him!" Yelled Percy. Piper didn't wait long, but he had to drag the satyr to stop him from attacking the stunned god. Percy summoned the winds, and they were all sent on the dragon's back. Immediatly, Festus spread his wings and flew as fast as possible. The winds were so strong that Percy used his powers to not fall. They flew for more than half an hour, until Festus slowed down and landed on the snow.

"I don't think they will invite us for Christmas." Said Piper.

"What do we do now? We don't know where Eole is!" Said Percy. Gleeson didn't seem bothered, and after chewing his bat, he looked at them calmly.

"It's clear. We need another source of informations." He simply said. Percy felt his hope rise a little.

"Is there another?" He asked. Gleeson scratched his chin.

"I think there was a guy...um...Nero...something like that...I don't really remember...I think he is a son of Oceanos. Anyway, he knows alot. If we find him, he might tell us. He lives somewhere in...umm... Florida." He said.

"What!?"

Percy holded his head with both hands.

"We're in deep shit." He muttered.

\- Piper -

Piper was anxious. Until now they didn't follow the plan at all. After Festus landed in the snow, exhausted, they had to rest. Fortunnaly, there was an empty cave close to them. They entered the shelter, with Festus occuping half of the place.

She openned her bag and took out a cover, and wraped herself around it. She was still freezing. Gleeson didn't seem to be affected, maybe beceause half of his body was covered with thick goat fur.

"I am gonna be guarding, kids." He said. "S-s-sure, g-go ahead." Replied Piper, her voice trembling.

Percy sat next to her.

"Do you want to...?" He said. Piper shievered and nodded. He wrapped his arms around her, and she felt a relief that had nothing to do with the warmth.

"Uh...so, we're going to Florida?" She said, coughing.

"Yeah. I think you catched cold." He replied. Piper shook her head.

"No, I am fine. You'd better be worried for Festus." She said. Percy looked at the dragon.

"I hope he recovers early." He said. Piper nodded, and her stomach growled, very loud. She was so embarassed that she wanted to dissapear. Fortunnaly, Percy laughed.

"I think we have somme food. Here." He said, looking in his bag, and taking out a plastic horn.

"What's that?" Asked Piper.

"There are a lot in the dinning pavillon. I think this one generates-" but before he could finish, a large sandwich got out of it and landed on Piper's lap.

"Now that's what I call magic." She said, grabbing it. It was peanutt butter sandwich. Another sandwich got out and Percy took it.

"Hey, Mr Hedge! You want to eat something?" Said Percy. The satyr sniffed and shook his head.

"Not now." He replied. Percy rised his shoulders and they both started eating.

"How long will we stay here?" Said Piper.

"Until Festus can fly. Wanna eat sopething bud?" He said, tapping the dragon's head. Festus looked at them, while Percy took the horn. A meat sandwich got out of it.

"Ugh..." Moaned Piper. "I hate the smell of meat."

Percy smiled and Festus swallowed it with one bite.

"Rest, Piper. We have a long trip ahead." He said, while she finished her sandwich. Piper rolled her eyes, and she closed her eyes. Not much time passed until she fell asleep.

She dreamed of her last vacation with her dad. It was one of the rare times she got to spend time with him. They were talking about all the greek myths he studied lately.

"I always thought greeks and chereokees were alike." He said.

"You don't believe in their tales?" Asked Piper. Her dad laughed.

"No, if I did, I would spend my life looking for a responsible." He replied.

Piper looked at the sky and asked her dad about her mom.

"Your mother left me a few days after you were born, Piper." He replied. "I don't often think about her Piper, but when I do, I wonder if she is happy now."

She stared at her dad and she heard a voice calling her.

"...iper! Wake up!"

She openned her eyes. She wasn't on the beach anymore, she was now in the cold cavern, in Percy's arms.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." He said.

"Don't call me that...how much time did I sleep?" She asked.

"A few hours. We will leave now, we have to reach Florida as fast as possible." He replied. She nodded and they got up. Percy was the first to get on the dragon's back, and Piper sat after him, with Hedge at last. Festus walked out of the cavern. The land ahead was completely white, and it was still snowing.

Percy muttered something in Festus's ear, and he immediatly spread his wings, lifting them high in the sky.

"What's the plan now?" Asked Piper.

"We find that Nero guy, he tells us where is Eole, we go to Eole's palace and we give him the storm spirits we catched on the way, and after he told us where to find the bolt, we go look for it." Replied Percy.

"And you are sure about it?" She asked.

"It's all we have." Said Percy quietly.

The snow was still falling, and Piper was freezing. They flew for several hours, until the sun started setting. As it was getting darker, the winds became stronger, until Piper could no longer feel her feet feet.

"C-c-can you u-use the winds to protect us?" She asked Percy.

" Maybe." He replied. Immediatly, the air became softer, and the winds died down.

"Thanks." She coughed. Percy turned and looked at her.

"I think you're ill." He said. "There is ambrosia in my bag. Take a bit." She tried to thank him again, but she could only cough. She openned his bag and took out one of the little pieces of cake in a pocket. The taste reminded her of the soup her dad used to make her when she was sick. She immediatly felt her throat stop paining her, and she could breath normally again.

"It's better." She said. Percy smiled at her, and she felt a warm sensation in her stomach.

"Good, beceause we'll need all your capacities in this quest." He replied.

"LOOK!" Yelled Mr Hedge. "There! Infront of you! There is the little bastard!"

"What is it?" Asked Percy, alarmed.

"A storm spirit!" Yelled back the satyr. "Right there! Careful! I don't think he saw us."

Piper raised her head and looked at the direction Gleeson was pointing at. There was indeed a grey smoke horse, flying before them.

"Let's follow it!" She muttered.

"Why?" Asked Percy.

"Beceause we have to give Eole some, right?" She replied. "Then, why not get it first?"

"I hope you're right." He mumbled. "Hey Festus, follow the grey thing, but don't approach too much."

The dragon sped up and changed direction to follow the storm spirit.

Piper didn't know how much time did they follow it, but she was now ready to throw up. The storm spirit always changed direction, and Festus did as well. It reminded her of the school trip she went to two years ago. She threw up on her math teacher that day, and she didn't want to vomite on Percy, in mid air.

"Where is he going like that?" She heard Percy say. Piper felt the sensation in her stomach, and she gripped Percy's shoulder, trying to focuse on something else.

"Ouch! Piper?" He yelped. Piper didn't answer and she closed her eyes, burrying her face in Percy's back.

She blacked out, and when she openned her eyes again, she wasn't on Festus's back anymore. She was in a empty shopping center.

"Um...Hello?" She said.

"Oh darling! Here you are!" Said a feminine voice. Piper turned and felt her breath cut. Before her stood the most beautiful women she ever saw. Her face seemed to always change, as if her beauty increased at each second. Everything in her aspect, from the slight make up to the way she standed, seemed made to make Piper feel like a troll.

"Uhh...who are you?" She managed to say. The women laughed, and stared at her. The woman's eyes changed color, and became blue white, like Percy's.

"Why, I am your mother, Piper!" She said, gigling. Piper blinked.

"You are Aphrodite." Said Piper. "Where are we? And what am I doing here...?"

"Oh, Piper, Piper, Piper..." Said Aphrodite. "Look at you! You've became such a beatiful girl. We are in one of your dreams. Follow me darling, I will try to answer most of your questions."

She walked up the stairs and entered a clothes shop. "Come in!" Piper heard her say. She followed her mother and entered the shop. Aphrodite was sitting before a mirror, a small table in front of her.

"Sit next to me, I have something to tell you."

Piper walked to her mother and sat in the little chair, awaiting. Aphrodite leaned and took her hand.

"Piper, you and your friends are going into a dangerous quest. Do you know why?" She said.

"Well, Zeus's masterblot have been stolen, so we will bring it back to prevent a war of the gods." Replied Piper.

"Half of the truth, Piper." Said Aphrodite. "Zeus is worried. The gods are aweakened by so much centuries of lazyness."

It took Piper some time to understand what her mother said.

"We are not ready for a war. Olympus will be torn apart." She continued. "Oh! One more thing, Piper. Someone will claim to help you, but don't trust her. If you fail, it will be beceause of her." Aphrodite said, while her image flinched. "You are awaking. Now I must leave but something tells me that the fates have much worse to show us. Be brave Piper, you have many adventures ahead." She said, while she was dissapearing. As Piper watched her, she remembered that she had the goddess of love infront of her.

"Wait! Tell me what are Percy's feeling toward me!" She said, and immediatly felt like a complete idiot. The goddess laughed and the dream faded.

Piper woke up on Festus's back. They were still following the storm spirit, and her urge to throw up didn't get any better. Piper thought about her dream. She didn't want to tell the others; they didn't need anymore pressure. A short time after she woke up, Festus lunged, and a large range of high buildings could be seen, and behind them, a snow covered town. "That's Chicago, kids." Said Hedge.

The storm spirit turned one more time, and entered a building, breaking a window in the process.

"It entered that building!" Exclaimed Hedge, pointing at the place with his bat.

"Okay, we're gonna land." Said Percy. They flew around until they found a large place in a park, and Festus landed.

Percy jumped on the grounds and turned to Festus.

"Look, whenver you hear thunder, you come to get us, okay?" He said."Oh, and don't burn or eat people." He quickly added. Festus blinked, and they walked to the building's entrance.

"What do you think we'll find there." Wondered Piper.

"Storm spirits, I guess." Replied Percy. The building was an abondonned hotel. The sign read 'The King's Hotel'. The front door was locked with chains, and a 'Do not enter.' sign was lying on the grounds.

Percy uncaped his pen, ready to cut the chains, but Hedge was faster. A few blows his bat, and the doors weren't there anymore. The hallaway was empty, with pieces of furnitures lying on the grounds.

"Where do we go now?" Asked Piper.

"We take the stairs." Replied Percy. Piper looked at the wooden stairs.

"I am pretty sure they'll break under the weight." She said. "And we'll fall in a monster nest or something."

"Yep." Said Hedge. "I can't wait for a fight."

Percy ignored both and started climbing the stairs. Surprisingly, they supported.

"Follow me." He said, his pen in hand. They climbed the stairs, which leaded them to the first floor. When she saw it, Piper was pretty stunned. It was completely clean and reminded her of the four stars hotels her dad took her to. They walked carefully, openning doors and checking inside. Piper was holding her dagger. She expected the monster they saw earlier to come out at any moment. Percy openned the last door and called them: "It's clean her!" He said, entering. Piper and the satyr followed him. The suit was perfect: giant TV, couch, large windows leading to a balcony, just like Boreas'. The door suddenly closed, and Piper immediatly raised her dagger. It was a chance, beceause a blade met her weapon and she backed off. A teenage girl stood there. She had dark hair and stormy grey eyes. Somehow, she reminded Piper of Annabeth.

"Who are you?" Said Percy, pointing at her with his sword. The girl didn't look at him, she was still staring at Piper.

"Who are you!" She replied, glaring at the three of them. "You just entered my house, and you ask me who am I?!"

"Guys, she's right." Said Piper. "I am Piper, this is Percy and Hedge. We are on a quet and maybe you can help us."

Percy nodded and capped his pen, raising his hands in surrender, while Hedge lifted his weapon and yelled "Die!"

"Mr Hedge, please." Pleaded Piper. The satyr, lowered his bat, but he was still looking at the stranger with a furious look.

"Thank you." Replied the girl coldly. "Will you leave now? I am not interested in quests, and I have other buisness to do." She said, pointing to the door with her sword.

"Wait!" Said Percy. "Do you know where we can find storm spirits, or Eole, the wind God?"

The girl eyed him warily, as if he was a math problem, and stayed in silent for a few minutes.

"Yes, I recently visited Eole and I know where his palace currently is." She replied carefully. Percy raised his eyebrows.

"Seriously? Can you please tell us, then?" He asked. The girl chuckled.

"You know what? I think I will help you on this one, follow me, I have a map that could help you. I am Samantha by the way." She said, lowering her openned a trapopenned door that none of them noticed beofore, and she jumped in. Hedge jumped after her, and as Percy was about to follow, Piper gripped his arm. "Aren't you doubtful?" She muttered. "She doesn't want to help us, and just when you tell her we're looking for Eole, she changes her mind."

"I don't know Piper, but it could be a great adventage." He responded. Piper hesitated the followed him. The place was much larger than Piper thought. There were tons of armors, weapons and objects that had no relation to greek mythology: a few camping tents, many broken televisions, a large mirror, and on a high chair, a red lipstick, glowing in the darkness of the room

"That's a hide out. I usually store everything here. Look for a golden bag. It should be somewhere here..." She said. Percy looked around and started searching. Piper approached the wall before her. There was a weird sign on it. Like the delta letter.

"There is it!" Said Hedge. Piper looked at him. He was indeed holding a golden bag. Percy walked to him and took the bag, examinating it.

"Darn, we can't thank you enough, Sa-" Started Piper, but she stopped when she saw that Samantha wasn't here anymore.

"Where is she...?" Asked Percy. Immediatly, the door closed shut, and the room started trembling.

"What the hell is hapenning?!" Yelled Percy as the grounds openned. Piper tried to take a hold on something, but she wasn fast enough. She fell in the hole, hearing Mr Hedge cursing.

\- Percy -

When Percy openned his eyes, he felt a lancing pain in his ankles. He had landed on something hard. He looked up, and he saw that he landed next to Piper, on the grounds. She groaned and openned her eyes. Percy got up and cleaned the dirt off his clothes."Um...Where is Mr Hedge?" He said in a rasp voice, then he cleared his throat.

"I don't know.." She replied. "I am here kids." Shouted the satyr's voice. Percy looked around and saw him aproaching, dragging his baseball batt.

"Are you finnally awake?" He groaned. Percy flinched.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"It has been some time since we fell here. I told you we had to kill her!" Said the satyr furiously. Piper sighed, and Percy blinked.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"I don't really know, but we'd better go look for an exit." Replied Hedge. Percy nodded and helped Piper get up.

"God knows how puch time we're loosing...maybe I can fly us out?" He suggested.

"Give it a try."Said Piper. Percy concentrated, and jumped. Immediatly, the air lifted him higher. He flew higher carefully, and he stopped at the roof. There was absoluetly no hole or exit from there. Percy looked at the horizon and almost fell; there was a simply huge deadalus of paths; even from up there, Percy couldn't see an exit.

He came back to the grounds and shook his head. "There isn't any exit. And...I think we fell in a labyrinth." He said. Piper's eyes widened and They walked ahead of them, and after a few minutes, the got to an intersection.

"Left or right?" Said Percy. Hedge raised his shoulders.

"I suggest we go right. I have a bad feeling about the left one." He said.

"I suppose you're right." Joked Percy. "We can't be sure about it, it's just luck."

"Then let's go." Said Piper. Hedge took the right path, and they followed him. After having walked a short distance, Percy noticed that there was mist clouding his vision. He waved his hand to make the winds clear it off. A strong wind blew, but the mist was still there.

"Why don't we get back." He said. Piper nodded, and took a few steps to the direction they came , the grounds openned and Percy catched her arm. A second late and she would have fallen.

"What the fuck!" She yelled. He pulled her back, and he looked at the crack on the grounds.

"I think we should keep going." He said. They walked in the mist, carefull for more traps, until a loud sceam was heard.

"What was that?" Muttered Percy. A terrible growl followed the scream, and without thinking, they ran as fast as possible, dragging Hedge who was screaming "I'll kill it! Don't worry!", but they didn't get far. Almost immediatly, Percy entered in collision with a wall of fur. He backed off, and saw the monster before him. It was a hound. A big one. Percy looked at Piper, and even Hedge was stunned. The monster had the size of a truck, and enormous fangs.

Percy uncapped his pen, and as he was about to hit the beast, it dissapeared.

"What was that?" Murmured Piper.

"A hellhound." Replied Hedge. "I never saw such a big one. We'd better hurry up, we're loosing time here."

Percy nodded and they kept on going, weapons out. After some time, they got to another intersection.

"Left." Declared Piper, and none of them argued. As they walked, Percy had the bad feeling that they were lost in the maze. Shortly after choosing the left, they heard another growl.

"Uh... shit." Muttered Percy, having no intention of meeting the hellhound again. He raised his sword, ready to attack. A massive palm knocked his sword out of his hands, and the hellhound was before them again, growling. Hedge yelled "Die!" and runned to the beast, but with one hit, he was sent on the grounds, knocked out.

Piper looked at Percy with fear. Percy, desperated, concentrated and sumonned thunder. As shocking as it seemed, a loud sound was heard, and the place's temperature fell. Percy looked up and realized what he did. The place must had a really high roof, beceause Percy created thunder clouds at this height. He didn't wait long, raising his hand and catching the lightning that fell down, just as he did when he fought Clarisse. The object in his hand was radiating energy, and Percy somehow preferred it to his sword. The hellhound growled and jumped, just when Percy threw his bolt. The monster dissapeared in dust at the contact, but it was a short victory. Many roars , similar to the hound's, were heard. Percy held Hedge's right arm, and he yelled at Piper. "Run!"

He tried to run as fast as he could with Hedge's weight, but he was too slow. Piper had to stop many time and await for him. Suddenly, a massive hellhound jumped on them and they were all sent on the grounds. Percy rolled aside, and got up. His thunder clouds disapeared. He looked at Piper; she had a large cut on her forearm. The hellhound growled, and Percy reported his attention to the beast. With no weapon, he jumped on the monster.

The idea of fighting a rhino-sized hound with his bare hands was so ridicoulous that even the hound was stunned. Percy sumonned the winds and jumped out of its reach. He tried to summon more thunder, but he wasn't concentrated enough. He landed on the grounds, and the hound jumped on him, crushing him under the weight. He heard Piper scream his name, and he thought about how stupid it would be to die and let her deal with the beast. Something inside Percy snapped, and he felt an wave of adrenaline. With all his might, he tried to get rid of the hellhound that was preventing him from getting up, and hit the beast with his free foot. Surprisingly, the monster was sent crashing on the wall ahead. The stone cracked, and the monster fell on the grounds. The hellhound got up and shook its head. Percy was so surprised that he dodged the claws at the last moment. Following his instinct, he sent a punch the hellhound's massive head. A large bloody tooth fell on the grounds. Percy didn't wait, he punched again. The hellhoud yelped in pain and backed off, then it dissapeared. Percy looked at Piper. Thankfully, she was alright except for her little wound.

"You know what..." She said slowly. "I'll call you Hercules from now."

"Hahaha, verry funny." He replied. "Are you okay? Is Hedge okay?"

"Well, I am fine." She said. "And I think he's just knocked out. Nothing bad. But I don't think you are. Let me see your hands."

**A/N: Phew! Done. There is your gift for Christmas: extra long chapter! Did you like/hate it? Review your opinion! And no, I will not make them go through the event of the lost hero. At all. I just used the part of the wind gods. I am sorry to tell you that the next udpate will be pretty late, so please be patient, beceause I won't abondonn the stoy. It will be finished. Thanks for reading, DO NOT WORRY IF I AM TOO LATE, THE STORY WILL BE FINISHED!**

**TNM®**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello everyone. I am back from my long hiatus. I want to thank everyone who reviewed, read, favorited, followed the story. You guys are the best! **

**I hope you like this chapter.**

**Enjoy~**

**Percy**

Percy sat next to Piper, chewing a piece of ambrosia. His wounded hands were healing, but the pain was still there. He looked at his friend; her face was covered with dirt, the bless of Aphrodite was completely gone.

"We'd better go now." He said. Piper nodded and walked to where Hedge was laying.

She shook the satyr, and immediatly jumped away; Hedge had woken up and he was in 'Kill!' mod.

"Die!" He yelled. He looked at them furiously, then he lowered his bat.

"The hellhound is gone?" He asked. Percy was about to talk when Gleeson let out a yell of victory. "Ha! Yeah! Stay in Tartarus, you stinking little mutt!" He shouted.

"Yeah, you kicked his butt." Said Piper. "Can we _move on_ now?"

Percy got up and searched around for his sword. He found his weapon lying in the dirt and he grabbed it.

"Let's go."

They took the path ahead, all weapons out. Sometimes Hedge would take a few meters of advance and come back to them, 'Just a few miles left!'.

Meanwhile, Percy was thinking about all the ways he could get revenge on Samantha. He wanted to kick himself for not listening to Piper; she had warned him, but he didn't listen to her.

"Dammit!" He said out loud. Piper looked at him in surprise.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing...I was just thinking that I should have listened to you...you know, when you said we shouldn't trust Samantha." He said.

"Yeah...about that...I had a dream when we were on Festus's back." She said hesitantly.

Percy looked at her questionably, and she told him about her dream. When she finished, she looked down in shame.

"It wasn't your fault," Said Piper. "Aphrodite warned me, and I should have told you-"

She didn't have time to finish, the whole place shook, while pieces of rocks as big as Festus's head were falling.

"What hapenned?" Yelled Percy, trying to cover the sound of falling rocks.

"I don't know!" Yelled back Piper. "Where is Hedge- oh shit!"

She jumped aside just in time, as a piece of boulder crashed where she was a moment ago. The quacke stopped, and they both froze in silence.

"Did you hear that?" Whispered Percy.

"Hear what...ah."

It was the sound of running water; and it was getting closer and closer. Suddenly, Hedge immerged from the mist, running toward them.

"Run!" He yelled.

"What? Why?" Asked Piper in diseblief.

Her question was quickly answered: a huge wave of water crashed on them.

Percy was never a good swimmer; he would drown in a pool, so in a flooded cavern, with water running at 50 mph, he had no chance at all.

He couldn't breathe, nor he could see Piper or Hedge. He was uselessly swinging his arms, struggling to survive. His bag was pulling him to the depths, so he let go of it. Alas, it didn't change much. A couple of seconds passed, and he started to tire; his muscles were aching, and he couldn't breath. Suddenly, someone pulled him up, and he emerged to the surface, gasping for oxygen.

Percy turned to see who saved him, it was Piper.

"Pipe's?" He chocked.

"Yeah, you'll thank me later." She retorted.

The waterstream was dragging them in the direction they came from. Percy and Piper were screaming Hedge's name, desperatly trying to find the satyr. After a moment that seemed to them like hours, they finally heard a response.

"I'm over here!"

Gleeson was clinging to a large, immerged rock.

Piper swam toward him, out of breath, as she was supporting Percy as well. They reached the satyr, and she collapsed on her back, breathless. Percy sat next to her, and glanced at the stream of water.

"We're trapped." He coughed, then he turned his gaze at the daughter of Aphrodite.

"Thanks , Piper. You saved me there."

She hardly got up in a sitting position, and coughed.

"No need to, you did the same back there in the Grand Canyon." She replied with a small smile.

"That's great and all, but how do we get out of here." Reminded them Gleeson. Percy sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"I don't know...I can't fly with the three of us. And we can't even know if we'll be going in the right direction. Where did that water come from anyway?" He asked. The satyr raised his shoulders.

"Maybe it was a trap..." He said, and trailed off, staring at something behind Percy.

"What?" Asked Percy, looking behind him and gasping at the sight. Hellhounds, dozens of them, were floating on the water, apparently dead. Along them pieces of wood and all sorts of trash.

"At least, we now know that they aren't going to follow us." He said.

"And they seemingly died less than an hour ago." Added Gleeson. "They'll dissolve in dust after some time. And...it seems we weren't the first ones here."

Following the trash and the hellhouds, were now..._human bones_. Piper squeaked and looked away.

"What do you think?" Muttered Percy.

"Demigods, probably." Replied Hedge. "Fallen heroes who died trying to figure the way out of here."

Percy gulped while Piper restrained a sob.

"Guys... I think we can use that." He said, pointing to the floating materials.

"You want to build a raft?" Asked Hedge.

"Why not?"

He took his sword and he pushed a long plank toward them.

"See? Piece of cake." He said in a weak voice.

They worked for how many hours, Percy couldn't tell. All what he knew was that there was probably no way of getting out. The remains of the fallen demigods were a proof, but he didn't want to die knowing he led his friends to their death.

His hand pained him, and the sight of bones gave him the urge to throw up. After a long moment of hard work, they finished their raft.

"Okay, all we have to do now is to test it." Stated Percy. He carefully put a foot on it, then he dropped his weight on the raft. It resisted. Piper and Hedge both climed in, and, using his sword, Percy pushed the raft away from their previous shelter, and they were driven away by the waterstream.

It was completely impossible to control their direction; his power over the sky wouldn't help him. All what Percy could do was hoping it would get them to the exit.

What he didn't expect was getting to a waterfall. Shit.

"Is that a waterfall?!" Shouted Piper.

"Holy shit! We have to stop this thing!" Percy shouted back.

"How do you want to-_**aaaaaaaaaaaargh !**_ "

"MOTHER OF PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Yelled the satyr, as they were falling.

Percy catched the both of them by the arms and tried to summon the winds, but all what he could do was slow down the fall.

A minute passed, then another, and Percy realized something, apparently in the same time his friends did.

"We're still falling, goddamit!" He yelled. "How far are the freaking grounds?!"

Alas, his question was quickly answered. A large lake could be seen down there, and Percy wasn't eager to be back in water. He pushed himslef to his limits, and willed the windq to stop their fall. This time, they didn't fully stop, but their fall became much slower. They softly hit the surface of the water, and...well, it wasn't what he expected. The waters weren't deep at all, actually, it was less than a foor deep, with a disgusting stratum of mud.

Percy slowly got up, covered in mud. He helped Piper and Hedge up, and they walked to the shores.

Percy sat on the grounds, breathing heavily. The visibility was still poor.

"Where do we go now?" Asked Piper between coughs. "One thing is sure, we're far from the surface now."

Percy shook his head, and got up.

"I say...we explore." He said, taking out his sword. The celestial bronze blade glowed feebly in the darkness.

"Alright."

Piper took out her dagger and they walked close to the shore.

"Does anyone have food?" Asked Hedge.

Percy shook his head; he just realized he lost his backpack, and it seemed he wasn't the only one: all they had now were a sword, a dagger, and a bat.

They kept going forward, carefull for any monster. The only advantage was that now, there wasn't any mist clouding their vision.

After a not-so-long march, Percy, Piper and Hedge got to a large, beton-made wall. It was completely crackled, and there was water dripping from it.

"What do you think there is behind?" Said Piper.

"Water. If it breaks, we're gonna drown." Replied Percy. "Either way, it's a dead end. Maybe we could-"

"Well, well, well, look who is here..." Said a voice.

"Who's there?" Yelled Percy, raising his sword, while Hedge was yelling 'Die!'

The voice explosed in laughter.

"Always the same questions...'Who are you?', 'What do you want?'. I am an old kind of demons...My race lives in dark and damp places. Your legends never deemed me worthy of mention. Now you'll regreet it...I usually feed on monsters who are stupid enough to come to this part of the labyrinth, but you will be enough."

The monster emerged from the shadows to the light difused by Percy's sword . It had grey skin, and a man's body. It's hand and feet had very long claws, and its face ressembled a cyclop's, except it had two glowing, yellow eyes. The monster was wearing nothing but pelts of what seemed like Hellhounds.

The beast stucked out its snake-tongue. It was probably twenty feet high, maybe more.

Percy didn't wait, he charged it, and jumped, using the winds to get higher. While still in mid air, he delivered a fast and deadly kick to the demon's chest. The blade easily pierced the pelt and the skin, but no bloods came out. Percy dodged a giant hand, and jumped away. The celestial bronze should have reduced his oponnent to dust. Instead, the wound healed, leaving a simple white scare.

Before Percy's astonishement, the monster laughed.

"No metal can kill me, you ignorant mortal. I slay cyclops and drakons with my bare hands. You have no chance against me!"

This time, the demon didn't miss; with a surprising speed for such a large creature, it delivered a hard kick to Percy's chest, sending him in the waters. Percy landed on his back, his breath cut.

**Piper**

When she saw Percy lying in the waters, catching his breath, Piper knew that this time, she had to fight.

"I distract it, and if you find an oportunity, you attack it from behind. But now, I think you should help Percy." She muttered to Gleeson's ear. The satyr seemed to have another strategy in mind,- i.e. kill, kill, kill!- but somehow obtempered. He lowered his weapon and headed to their fainted friend.

The monster stared at the satyr, and took a step toward him.

Piper unseathed her dagger, and approached it carefully. Her plan worked; it reported its attention to her.

Her oponnent was towering over her, looking at her with disdain, as if it was saying 'This ant is challenging me?'

She tried to remember all what she was taught in training at Camp, and she attacked.

Piper rolled to the side, dodging two large hands which tried to squash her like a fly, and lunged to plunge her blade in the closest target: the demon's leg. It saw her coming, however, and easily evaded.

Without warning, and with a tremendous speed, the beast charged, all claws out. Piper instinctively jumped away, but not fast enough: she had a nasty cut on the stomach, but thankfully it was not deep.

The monster had all its attention on Piper, and it didn't saw Hedge coming. With a powerful jump of his goat legs, the satyr landed on the monster's back, and brought down his bat.

The club hit the top of the monster's head with a loud crack. The beast screamed in pain, while Hedge jumped off its back.

Piper jumped on the oportunity and thrust her dagger in the howling beast's quadriceps.

However, it seemed that the monster was no closer to dying, just a little bit angrier.

Suddenly, the air tensed, and the three of them froze. Piper felt all her body shiever, and a second later, a lightning hit Piper's dagger, which was still sunk in the beast's flesh. The whole cavern was illuminated, and when the light died down, their oponnent was on its back, its whole body covered in burns. A thick, disgusting smell of rotten flesh filled up Piper's nose.

She turned to see Percy standing between the waters. He was kneeling on his sword, holding another lightning bolt, ready to throw it. His ressemblance with the God of the Sky was, by all means, shocking. He walked to them, still using his sword as a crutch.

"Is he dead?" He asked, pointing at the monster with his bolt.

As soon as the sentence came out of his mouth, the monster moved. It slowly got up, staring at them with pure hate.

"Grrr, no demigod can kill me. Not even Zeus's children." It growled.

"What's your problem, man? What are you waiting to die?" Said Percy, pointing his bolt at his oponnent.

"As some mythical creatures, my fate is decided. Only an immortal can kill me."

Piper gulped; if it was true, then they had no chance of winning. She looked around and saw the crackled wall from earlier. An idea struck her, and as she was about to expose it to her friends, the giant monster rose to its feet, and a salve of green liquid came out of its mouth.

If Hedge didn't pull her out of the way, she would be nothing more than a melted-demigoddess.

Percy threw his bolt again, and she saw with relief that the monster was struck. This time, however, it didn't fall like earlier. Instead, the beast let out a small cry of pain, but nothing more. The lightning didn't cause much damage...

"Fools!" It bellowed. "I already told you that only a immortal can kill me!"

And before Percy could raise his sword, or summon another bolt, the monster thrust its claws in the grounds. Piper didn't understand what it was doing until it _tore out _a lar boulder.

The monster threw the projectile at Percy, who barely dodged it. The boulder crashed with a loud crack that shook the whole place.

Percy, Piper and Hedge jumped and took cover behind the rock, while the monster was throwing more projectiles toward them.

"Now, come on, half-bloods! Come out!" Yelled the beast behind them.

"What do we do now?" Muttered Piper.

Percy coughed, and pointed at the cracked wall.

"If you guys don't mind the water..." He said, trailing off. It was a crazy idea, but it was all they had.

"Okay...but what if it was too thick?" Asked Piper.

"That was very optimistic, thank you." Replied Percy. And before anyone could say anything, Percy got out of their shelter.

"Hey, Ugly! No wonder there aren't many of you, we must've killed you all!" He yelled.

The beast roared in anger and jumped at Percy with more agility and speed than a lion.

The Giant brought down its hand and tried to crush Percy, who blocked the strike sith his hand.

"Guys!" Yelled Percy, red under the effort. "Now!"

Piper shook her head and grabed Percy's sword. She sprinted toward the wall and plunged the weapon with all her might. The sword pierced the wall as if it was made of butter. For three long, horribly frightening seconds, nothing hapenned. Percy was still strugling to stay alive under the monster's grip, while Hedge was clinging to said monster's neck.

Then, a quacke shook the place, and the cracks of the wall widened, until it completely broke. A gigantic wave of water fell upon them, flooding the whole cavern. Piper swam to the top. For two minutes, she swam, with the horrible thought that she would never reach the top soon enough. Then after what seemed to her like the most painfull moment of her life, she erupted to the surface. Piper blinked, gasping for breath' and searched around for her friends.

"Percy! Hedge!" She screamed. No answer. Piper felt like crying; she couldn't see anything.

"Piper!"

She turned, searching for the source of the voice. It was Percy's.

"I'm over here!" She screamed.

"I'm coming for you! Hedge is with me!"

Piper's panic melted like ice, only to reapear again. Something was wrong: Percy didn't know how to swim.

"It's all right." Said Percy's voice. The source approached, and Piper saw with horror that it was the demon who was talking with Percy's voice. The monster caught her by the throat, and this time, Piper couldn see any way for her to escape.

"You fools...you thought you could kill by simply drowning me?! I am-"

But she didn't get to know what he was. A blinding light hit the monster, right on the elbow. The iron grip on her throat disspeared, and she saw with disgust that the forearm was completely cut off. The monster screamed in pain, holding its maimed arm; green bloods were pouring. Piper swam away, as fast as she could.

Suddenly, someone caught her by the arm, and she was pulled out of the water. Piper looked up, and she saw Percy, flying in the air. They were both lifted higher, and Percy caught her by the waist.

"Percy!" She stuttered. "Where is Gleeson?"

"I don't know." He replied. "We're gonna look for him, okay?"

They were flying over the newly created lake, calling for the satyr, until they heard an answer.

"Wait..." Said Piper. "The monster can imitate voices."

Percy nodded and raised his hand. A small bolt appeared from nowhere in his hand.

"How can you even do that?" Asked Piper.

"They are small, nothing compared to real lightnings, but it's all we need. And all I can do."

The bolt was spreading a bright light, and, with a sigh of relief, they saw the satyr under them, who was yelling insults in ancient greek.

"Mr. Hedge!" Yelled Percy. "I can't fly with more than one person!"

"I found a way out!" Yelled back the satyr. "It's under water! You have to follow me!"

"We'll be down there in a minute!"

The bolt dissapeared, and Percy and Piper landed softly in the cold waters.

"Where is it?" Asked Percy.

"Follow me."

"Percy, I'm gonna help you underwater. Take a deep breath." Said Piper.

"Thanks. I'm really sick of water."

Hedge dove underwater, and Piper followed him, catching Percy by the arm. The depths were as dark as the cavern itself. The way out Hedge talked about wasn't very far. It was another crackled wall, except Piper could see bubles erupting from the holes.

Hedge pointed to it, then lifted three fingers, and mimicked a hit.

Piper understood the plan; she looked at Percy, who nodded. She counted to three, and ,in the same time, Hedge slammed his hooves on the walls, and Percy and Piper both percuted the wall with their shoulders. In the infinitely small moment that preceeded the collision, Piper noticed a red delta marked on the wall.

The stone broke, and Piper fell face first to a white floor. Air filled up her lungs, and she looked behind her. The crack from wich they got out magically closed itself. Tire finally caught her up, and Piper closed her eyes and blacked out.

"Piper! Wake up!"

Piper openned his eyes, but quickly closed them. She spent hours in the dark tunnels, and the blinding light here was unusual.

Sher rubbed her eyes and looked around; her friends were both here, looking at her with concern. "Where are we...?" She asked to no one in particular.

"Let's find out." Said Percy, getting up, while Piper was doing the same.

Piper didn't see how this place,-obviously a bathroom-, was linked to the caverns, but she wasn't going to complain.

They got out of the bathrooms, and got to what seemed like the dinning room of restaurant. Everyone was looking at them curiously, but apparently, people were much more shocked by their clothes than by Hedge's goat legs.

"Where are we?" Whispered Percy to him.

"In a restaurant." She replied. He rolled his eyes, and gripped her arm.

"I meant in wich state." He said.

"How do you want me to know?" Retorted Piper. Percy rised his shoulders, and walked to where two old women were eating.

"Excuse me, madam." He said politely. " Can you tell me in which state are we?"

The old looked at him, surprised.

"Why, we are in California." She replied. Percy thanked herp and they got out of the restaurant. Outside, Piper had hard time keeping up through the crowd. It was a sunny day.

They walked in silent, until they stopped to a Cafeteria, where they sat at a small table.

"We couldn't have walked all the way to California, it's impossible." Said Piper.

"It doesn't matter, our main problem is to get to Florida as fast as possible." Said Percy.

"Does anyone have money?"

"We lost our bags." Reminded him Piper.

"We won't go very far with this. Any ideas?" Asked Percy.

"By plane?" Suggested Hedge.

"No..." Replied Percy. "Maybe..."

"What?" Asked Piper. Percy rubbed the back of his head.

"Wecouldsteallacar." He stuttered.

"What?"

"We could steal a car." He repeated. Piper sounded surprised by the idea, while Hedge laughed.

"I like your train of thoughts!" He cheered. Piper, however, wasn't as enthusiast as him.

"How about Festus?" She asked.

"He either abondonned us, or is looking for us in Chicago." Said Percy, scratching his head.

"Okay. We'll have to steal a car. Who's gonna do it?" Asked Hedge.

They both turned to Piper.

"What? I'm not gonna do it!" She exclaimed.

"You're a child of Aphrodite, and I can tell that you have the gift of charmspeak." Said Gleeson. "You can convince anyone in a blink of an eye."

Percy nodded, and Piper let out a sigh.

"Okay now, here's the plan: you charmspeak a guy with a nice car, and I knock him out-"

"There is no need to knock him out." Said Percy. Hedge rolled his eyes.

"Why not-"

"You guys wait here, I'll come back with the car." Said Piper.

In the end, it wasn't that hard. Piper was walking in a parking lot, and she saw a teenager leaning to his open roof car. He had very long hair in a ponytail, a blouse and blue jeans. He was probably sixteen, and his expression was similar to Zetes's, which didn't help Piper.

She took a few deep breaths, and walked to him with a seductive smile.

"Hi!" She said, leaning next to him.

"Buz off, kid." He replied.

"Can you land me your car?" She said. The guy raised an eyebrow, and glared down at her.

"I told you to go away!" He replied angrily.

"Ah, sorry. I meant : _Can you give me your car_?" She repeated in a smooth voice. The boy's mouth fell open, and he looked at her with a blank expression.

"S-sure!" He stuttered, handing her the keys. Piper gave him a large smile, and took the keys. She entered the car, a BMW, and realized she had no idea how to drive.

"_Would you like to be my driver?_" She asked the man. He nodded, as if he was brainwashed, and Piper got to the backseats while he sat at the driver's seat. The daughter of Aphrodite felt guilty, but she brushed it off. This was for the quest's sake.

The man drived to the cafeteria where Hedge and Percy were waiting, as Piper instructed him.

"You did it!" Exclaimed Percy when he saw her. Meanwhile, Hedge was drooling over the car.

"And a BMW, no less!" He shouted.

"Yeah...um,_ thanks, we don't need you anymore._" She said to the guy. He simply nodded and got out. Hedge jumped on the backseat, and eyed the seats as if he was going to eat them, while Percy took all their three bags and threw them next to Hedge.

"So...I'm gonna drive?" Asked Percy. Piper raised her shoulders.

"It's your plan." She said. He snorted and took the guy's place at the driver's seat.

"I don't think a 14 years old driving will go unnoticed." He said.

"I think I can do something about that." Said Hedge.

"You can drive?" Asked Piper.

"No. Some mist will do the trick..."

He snapped his fingers, and Piper's vision became blurred for a while.

"What hapenned?" She asked.

"The mist will hide your looks to mortals." Replied the satyr.

"My name's Phil." Said the guy, with the same blank expression. Piper's feeling of guilt grew.

"Um...thank you. Really." She said. He nodded and walked away, stumbling many times in the process. Piper entered in the car, and they were on the road again.

Apparently, Percy had learned somewhere how to drive; he even seemed to enjoy it. He had found sunglasses in the car and put them on.

"How do I look?" He said with a large grin.

"Awesome." Said Piper. She honestly thought he couldn't get any better: a black T shirt, tightened by his muscles, his messy black hair moving with the wind, and he was driving with one hand, his other hand claping on the car door, due to his hyper activity.

"Where did you learn to drive, anyway?" She asked.

"Hey...you're talking to the guy who blew up a school bus." He replied.

"Right."

"Is that a map?" He said, pointing to a piece of paper laying on the backseats.

Piper reached to grab it, but Hedge was faster.

"Damn, that's a long way." He exclaimed. "Next stop: Florida!"

Piper smiled and rubbed her eyes.

For long hours, they drove across California. They were now on almost empty road. Sometimes, a car or two would pass by the oposite direction, and that was it.

Piper never had so much fun in her life. The sun was setting, and Hedge was grumbling to get a real bed where he could sleep.

Percy let out a sigh. He took off his sun glasses and put them in his pocket.

"Percy..." She said.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Will you...keep going to school after summer is over?" She said. He scratched his chin, and didn't answer immediatly.

"I don't know, maybe. I mean, my mom doesn't know I am a demigod. And it would feel weird to explain it to her...but I guess I will. Being half god doesn't change the fact I need to complete my studies." He said.

"Yeah...you're right. I was thinking...well, my dad is a cinema star. And I know that he won't accept the fact that I am a demigod. He spent his life denying cherokee legends, which are much...well...easy to believe than greek stuff." She said.

Percy laughed, while the sky boomed. This time however, it was a weak sound, and Piper could guess it was due to the Masterbolt's loss.

"Whoa...I thought it would be louder." Said Percy. "So tell me, how are cherokee legends less crazy than greek ones? Can you tell me about them?"

Piper snorted; she remembered a lot from her grandpa.

"Yeah, sure..."

As she was talking, Percy was listening to her. He looked really interested, and it somehow embarassed Piper.

She didn't feel time passing, and he drove until it was dark. Piper closed her eyes and fell asleep.

She was woken up by a blinding light and a someone's shouts. They almost collided with a truck, but thankfully, there was more fear than damage.

Percy, who had woken up at the same time as she did, was so stunned that a light rain was falling.

"Let's stop for the night!" He said, breathing heavily. "I found some money , and according to the map, we will pass by a hotel."

Piper could only nodd, and after a few minutes of driving, they got to a hotel. Percy stopped at the parking lot, and they took Hedge one from each arm.

They entered the small hotel's hallaway, and the employer gave them a key for their room.

Percy gave him all the money they found in the car, which wasn't a lot, and he somehow accepted it. The three of them entered their room, 243, and Piper threw herself on a bed. Percy dropped Hedge on the grounds, took a pyjamas in the closet and entered the bathroom.

The room was pretty simple; two aligned wooden beds, a bathroom and a large closet. In the middle, a medium sized TV on a bureau, and a large door, leading to a balconny. Piper closed her eyes and awaited for the bathroom door to unlock. She heard the door openn and Percy got out, yawning.

"I am gonna sleeeeeeeeeep..." He said, dropping on a bed. Piper took a grey pyjamas in the closet,-not her taste-, and entered to take a shower. A few minutes later, she was sleeping on her bed, after failing to wake Hedge up.

Piper had a dreamless sleep,-thankfully-, but it was too short for her taste. She was woken up by noise; Piper openned her eyes. The sun was raising...someone had openned the door to the balconny. She got up, and walked silently to see who was i. Turns out the personn was Percy. He was already wearing his clothes, and he was looking at the sky thoughtfully.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Percy jumped in surprise and looked at her.

"Oh, it's you."

Piper didn't know why, but she smiled.

"What are you doing?" She repeated. "It's too early."

"Nothing. I was just...not tired anymore." He replied.

Piper leaned next to him and elbowed him.

"Okay then, Superman."

"Stop calling me that." He replied with a smile.

"Gotcha, Supes."

"Dammit, Piper!" He exclaimed. And without a warning, he catched her by the waist and, with a powerful gust of wind, they were lifted in the air at a terrifying speed.

"Okay. I'm sorry!" She yelled. "Get us down, or people wilk think you're an UFO or something."

Percy only laughed, and they slowed down. The winds were blewing softly, and Piper felt a bit jealous that he could do this whenever he wanted.

They landed softly on the balconny, and Piper shievered.

"That was...a new variant of extreme sports." She said, and then realyzing that he was still holding her close to him. Somehow, she didn't mind.

"Piper...I..."

Percy shortened the distance between them. Her body seemed to be on auto-pilot; she leaned closer and their lips entered in contact.

**A/N: Aaaaaaaand cut! Did yoy like/hate it? Well, please review your opinion then! Your opinion really interests me!**

**TNM®**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello, readers! I know, it's quicker than usual. Don't expect the same for next udpate. It won't be slow, but not as fast as this udpate, if you see what I mean.**

**Anyway, thank you for all those lovely reviews! Also thank you for everyone who favorited/followed, or even read my story!**

**Enjoy~**

Percy slowly backed off, effectively breaking the kiss. He was breathing heavily, and so was Piper.

"Um...I..." He stuttered sheepishly. Piper blushed, and a small smile tugged her lips.

"The...ahem...the quest. We...we have to go, right?" She managed to say. Percy nodded slowly, while Piper left and went in the bathroom, probably for a shower.

The demigod sat on the grounds, still astonished that he just kissed her. But in the same time, she didn't seem to have hated it.

"Jackson! Where are we?!" Came Hedge's voice. Percy looked up, only to see the satyr staring at him furiously.

"We stopped here for the night." Explained Percy. "Piper is taking a shower. We'll soon leave."

As soon as he finished talking, a knock on the door was heard. Hedge lifted his bat in a threatning manner, while Percy got up and openned.

"Um, yeah? Who is it?" He asked. A middle aged man entered, pushing a table covered with plates. He was wearing a white uniform, and a badge on his chest read 'Victor.'

"Room service." Replied the newcomer. Hedge threw his bat on a bed and immediatly grabbed an iron plate. He started to chew it with delight, oblivious to the mortal's shocked stare.

"Don't pay attention to him." Said Percy. "Well, thank you anyway."

The man slowly nodded, and as he was about to get out, he stopped, a hand on the handle.

"Oh, and, by the way, the director asked me to pass a message to you, Mr Jackson." He uttered.

"Wait, how do you know my name-" Percy didn't have time to finish his question; Victor turned and hit Percy violently, sending flying three feet away, landing brutally on the bed he slept in.

Percy groaned in pain, and slowly got up.

"A damn monster! I'll get it!" Yelled Hedge, reaching for his bat, but alas, he was taken out the same way Percy was.

"What the hell is going on?!" Yelled Piper, erupting from the bathrooms, wearing a bathrobe.

The only answer she got was a roar from the monster. His clothes were completely tore apart, as he was morphing to its real form. A twelve foot giant was now standing before them, and it wasn't a pretty sight. He was wearing animal skin made clothes, his large muscles making it look like a decolored Hulk. A long, wooden bat appeared in his hand- Hedge was probably jealous-. A yellow-teethed smile tugged his lips.

"What the hell are you, man?" Groaned Percy.

The monster seemed offended by the question.

"I am a Lestrygon!" He roared, lifting his bat. Percy uncaped his sword and, with a quick move, he got up of the bed and charged. The Lestrygon, despite his apparent strength, was incredibly slow; a moment later, Percy's sword was plunged in his heart. He fell on the grounds, dissolving into golden dust.

"Aaaaaargh!"

"Piper, dress up, we're leaving!" Said Percy. The daughter of Aphrodite nodded and quickly entered the bathroom.

Meanwhile, much to Percy's surprise, the agonizing Lestrygon chuckled.

"You will die, half-bloods. We sensed you before you even got her." He laughed weakly.

Hedge brought down his weapon and hit the Lestrygon on the head hard enough to make it moan in pain.

"What do you mean?" Asked Percy, stopping Hedge from hitting again.

"This hotel...is...a trap. You are surrounded by my siblings!"

Percy's eyes widened, while Gleeson snarled.

"We've gotta leave, NOW!" Shouted Percy. "Piper!"

"I'm here!" She replied, getting out of the bathroom.

The three of them got out, Hedge stepping on the monster's fingers. They ran down the corridor, and exited the hotel. Surprisingly enough, no monster came in their way.

"Where's everyone?" Asked Piper.

"Don't worry about that. We have to leave now. Damn, I left the keys in the car. Thank god no one stole it."

They easily recognized the vehicle, and entered it, Percy at the driver's seat. He started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.

"Maybe the Lestrything was lying." Suggested Piper. "There are obviously no monsters."

"Wait, I can sense monsters," stated Hedge. "Damn..."

He stopped, sniffing the air. The expression on his face told Percy no good.

"There is...WATCH OUT!" He yelled. Percy reported his attention to the road just in time, and the sight cut his breath. He barely managed to avoid the huge obstacle before him; the car slipped out of the road, and they stopped brutally, raising a cloud of dust, while a loud roar resonated.

"What...is that?" Murmured Piper, horrified.

"A drakôn." Replied the satyr, as the giant serpent was crawling toward them. The monster was easily a hundred feet long, and its stare made Percy freeze, with the urge to hide in a hole.

Percy sped up the car, eager to get away as fast as he could.

"It's approaching! Speed up goddamit!" Screamed Piper, and Percy could see she was as frightened as he was.

"Hedge! How do we kill it?" Yelled Percy.

"You've got to hit it in a weak spot! Its skin is harder than Titanium!" He replied.

The car was already to its top speed, the drakôn following closely.

"Percy, it's catching up!"

"Guys!" He shouted. "I have an idea! Keep the car in the same direction, I'll fight this thing!"

"What?!" Screamed Piper.

"I'm gonna fry its head!" He shouted back. "Unless you have a better idea!"

"Well do it, then! There is a whole army behind us!" Exclaimed Gleeson. "They'll soon catch up!"

Unfortunaly, before Percy could do anything, or even understand what Hedge just said, a hunting horn was heard. An even bigger Lestrygon than Victor landed on the drakon's neck, which didn't seem to bother the snake.

"There!" Yelled a high pitched voice. It was probably the small army Hedge talked about, but Percy didn't even bother to look behind: a terrible quacke shook the road, and the grounds before them openned,_ litterally_, with now a two hundred feet wide hole barring the passage.

"What the fuck is that?!" Yelled Percy.

At such a speed, they couldn't stop. The car continued...and shot in the air when they got to the limits of the road. Everything seemed to go in slow motion; the car falling slowly in the newly created pit, the yells of Hedge and the monsters' hisses.

"OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Screamed Piper, loosing her restrain.

Percy felt a slight stisfatcion when he saw that the monsters who had been following them were falling as well , but changed his mind when he barely managed to dodge the drakon fangs.

The darkness around them grew, and soon Percy couldn't see anything. A cold breeze blew, and for some reason, Percy's eyes closed, as he was falling asleep.

When he woke up, a horrible smell filled up his nose. At least as bad as Smelly Gabe's.

He turned his head to the side, and saw Piper lying next to him. She openned her eyes and looked at him, surprised. He didn't need to check on the satyr, however; he was grumbling and groaning in his sleep.

"Greetings...nephew."

Percy looked around, startled. He was now on a wooden floor; the room walls were made of dark rocks. A great fire was burning in the middle, and three thrones were place before Percy. He spotted the source of the voice: a tall, pale man before him. His skin was extremely white, his long hair was pitch black and his red eyes were pulsing with power. He was wearing drak robes which had all sorts of pained figures painted on them in red, and a golden crown on his head. He was extremly tall, taller than the Lestrygon. He was glaring at Percy nastily, from the top of a bone made throne he was sitting on. Percy didn't need an explanation; the power and fear emanating from this person, his looks, drew one obvious conclusion.

"Lord Hades." He stated. The god of the Underworld nodded tiredly, and Percy and Piper both got up and bowed.

"Well, godling?" Asked Hades. "Where is it?"

Percy felt rather surprised, but he assumed Hades was talking about the bolt.

"Um...With all my due respect, I don't have the bolt." He said in a carefull tone. Hades roared in anger, making the earth shake in the process.

"Do not lie to me! You stole my helmet!" He bellowed, and Percy felt the urge to run away.

"What? What helmet?!" Asked the demigod, earning a furious glare from Hades. The god stood up, and took a step forward, making Piper yelp and grip Percy's arm.

"You are the thief, godling." He replied, anger dripping from his voice. "Zeus hid you well, but I can clearly see that he sent you to steal my symbol of power."

Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I didn't steal anything." He said calmly. "And I am not lying. I didn't know about this world two months ago!"

Hades stared at him, then sat back on his throne.

"Hmph. You're telling the truth, I can see it...but there was a pact, you shouldn't even exist. I will kill you either way, do you have anything else to say?"

"My lord," Said Piper suddenly, shooting a glance at Percy that meant 'I got it.' "I have a...hum...request in exchange of a service to you. Please listen."

Her voice was clearly dripping with magic, and it had the right effect.

"I am listening." He said quietly.

"We will ask you to help us find your brother's bolt, by perhaps giving us clues where the thief may be, and in exchange, we will retrieve your helm." She declared, making Percy s jaw drop.

Hades seemed to consider the offer, then, with a wave of his hands, the black doors openned.

"You have one week." He said coldly. "I believe the lightning thief is in Los Angeles. Do not try to fool me, godlings. I'll grant you safe passage to the exit. When you find my helm, you'll have to come back here, but you'll be on your own."

With that, he snapped his fingers, and the world around Percy spun, until he couldn't see or feel anything, except that he was suffocating.

A few seconds later, the feeling dissapeared, and Percy found himself in the weirdest and creepiest place he ever visited. A field a hundred times larger than a football stadium. Black grass, and complete silence were its defining traits. Percy shievered and looked roof was visible; its colour made it look like the dark clouds that appeared each time Percy sumonned thunder.

The three of them got up, still stunned.

"The fields of Asphodel." Muttered Piper.

"Hades wants us to leave going on foot." Percy chocked. Even Gleeson wasn't eager to shout. Piper shievered and slid her hand in Percy's. In other circumstances, it would have been embarassing, but Percy didn't mind. He needed to feel something else than the death that surrounded them.

They walked for god knows how much time, in the fields. Nothing came in sight, not even a monster. After some time, they got to an arcade, with greek inscriptions that Percy easily translated : 'You are now leaving the Erebus.'

When they walked past the strange monument, the look completely changed: from dark, dead grass to a completely nude earth, strained with volcanic rocks.

They were following a traced road, not exchanging a word. When they finnally stopped, it was at the bords a precipice.

"Now what?" Said Percy, his dry throat paining him.

As soon as he spoke, a floating boat entered in view. It was completly pitch black, and a man with a suit was staring at them from aboard.

The boat stopped before them, and Percy glanced at the man. He was wearing a suit the same color of his blonde, short hair. His skin had a copper shade, much like Piper's. He had a badge on his chest, with his name written on it, which reminded Percy of Victor the Lestrygon.

"You are...Chiron?" He asked, astonished. The man frowned.

"It is C-H-A-R-O-N, Charon, not Chiron! Why does everyone keep saying this?! Anyway, Lord Hades ordered me to get you out of the Underworld. I am surprised you gained his favors. Now get on the ferry, or I'll leave you here."

They obeyed, exchanging weird looks. As soon as he got on, Charon looked completely different to Percy. He was wearing now a long, dark robe. His sunglasses dissapeared, revealing empty eyes, and his flesh was almost translucid, showing his bones. The boat changed its direction, with Charon pushing it, using a long bar. They were now floating on a dark river. Bones, dead fish and all sorts of surprising objects could be seen.

"It's the Styx." Said Charon. "Yes, it's completely polluated, isn't it? You humans have been throwing all what you bring with you for centuries: hopes, dreams..."

Suddenly, he stopped, and slowly turned. An expression appeared on his ghostly face; it was a sudden _fear._ He stopped pushing the boat and turned to Percy.

"This was unexpected." He muttered. "Well, I am sorry, demigods and satyr, but I will have to leave. Lord Hades will understand my reaction, that is sure."

And with that, black wings errupted from his back, and he flew away, dissapearing in a matter of seconds. Percy looked at his friends; theybwere as surprised as he was.

"How are we gonna leave, now?" Asked Piper, her voice shaking.

"Why leaving, when you can stay here?" Answered a harsh voice that seemed to emerge from the depths of the hell, and given the situation, it probably did. The sound sent a shiever down Percy's spin, and he instinctively uncapped his sword.

"Who are you?" He squeaked, then correcting himself, "WHO ARE YOU? "

The voice laughed, while Percy's words were echoing.

"Why, I am your brother!"

And before Percy could say anything, a hand, actually the skeleton of a giant hand, errupted from the dark waters of the Styx. Piper screamed, Hedge yelled insults while two enormous fingers catched Percy like a fly; the material was disgusting to touch, but Percy brushed it off; he was too concentrated in preventing the fingers from crushing him.

"I am Kronos. King of the Titans." Continued the voice. "And you will deliver a message for me."

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Yelled Gleeson Hedge.

"Do not test my patience, punny satyr." Growled the voice.

"Doesn't that mean you're my grandfather or something?" Yelled Percy, his muscles on fire. The voice laughed softly in answer.

"Ah, so you think your father is my dear son, Zeus, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Percy, his voice shaking.

"Your father, and mine, are the same deity, my little brother." Replied the voice. "I will not kill you now, no, I want you to tell Zeus, that the mighty Titans have escaped the Tartarus. Tell him that this war, will be completely different, beceause this time, he will loose. It is your turn to choose, little brother: will you stay with the Olympians, knowing that they will probably kill you when they discover you are the son of my father, or will you join your real family?"

Percy felt his arms let go, and suddenly, he was thrown back on the boat, landing right in Piper's arms.

"Percy!" She said, alarmed. "Are you all right?"

"Fight us now, you coward!" Shouted Gleeson Hedge, raising his fist and adressing obscene gestures to Kronos's hand.

This time, the Titan didn't answer, his hand dissapeared in thin air, and it was as if it didn't appear in the first place.

"Remember, Jackson. I will exit get you out of hell, but next time, I may not be so merceful." Were the last words he heard, before the world started to spin around him, cutting his breath.

When he woke up, Percy's head was resting on a soft surface. He openned his eyes, and saw Piper leaning at him, an expression of worry on her face.

"Are you all right?" She asked softly.

He nodded, and sighed. He suddenly remebered their trip to hell, and the voice's words about Zeus not being Percy's father...

"Where are we?" He asked.

"We first landed in South Dakota, for some reason, but then Hades apparently sent a messenger to tell us that he didn't care what the titan told us, he still wanted his helm. His messenger then transported us to Los Angeles, and told us the lightning thief should be here."

"Piper." Percy said slowly. "How the hell will we manage to find his helm _and_ the bolt?"

He got up, and realized they were in the middle of the streets.

"Who was the messenger, anyway?" He asked.

"Mrs Dodds." Replied Piper with a grimace, getting up as well.

"Well, we already know the thief is in this city." Said the satyr, who had been watching the exchange without any word. "Come on, we're attracting attention. Let's find a calm place where we can discuss a plan."

They walked further down the streets, only to enter a restaurant. They eventually took seats at an available table.

"So it was really Kronos who talked to us." Stated Percy. Hedge nodded, and Piper shievered, probably due to the awful memory of the voice.

"Who is his father in greek mythology?"

"Ouranos." Replied Hedge. "The personification of the Stars and the Sky. If the Titan wasn't lying, you're his son. It would explain a lot, I mean, you have a weird scent."

"Doesn't matter." Cut him Percy. "We will continue the quest as if nothing hapenned."

"But Percy," Said Piper. "Remember the dream I had with Aohrodite warning me? S mentionned the Titans, and Kronos confirmed it."

"Your point ?"

"Why would he warn Olympus?" Asked Piper.

"I don't know...maybe he's so confident? I suggest we put this aside, and focus on the quest." Decided Percy.

"Right, but, even if we succeed, are you going to tell Chiron?" She stated.

Percy folded his arms together. He was happy to see Piper didn't change her behavior toward him beceause they kissed, but at this point, he would have preferred if she didn't remind him of all that. He was staring at his hands, when a weird sensation made him shiever. His head snapped up; apparently, Piper and Hedge felt the same thing.

He mouthed the word 'monsters' to his friends. Hedge rised his shoulders, and Piper ddidn't answer. In the mean time, a man entered the restaurant and sat next to Percy.

The demigod sized the newcomer: tall, beefy, a scar running down his cheek. He had short brown hair and sunglasses, and his sight would make most wrestlers cower in fear. He leaned and whispered so only Percy, Piper and Gleeson could hear.

"You are on a quest to retrieve Zeus's bolt, aren't you?"

Percy's mouth fell agape, while Piper gasped and Hedge stiffened.

"Who are-" Percy began, but he was quickly interrupted.

"I am Ares, the God of War. I will help you in your quest, in exchange of a quick service."

Percy couldn't contain himself; he threw his hands in the air, and sighed.

"Um, Lord Ares, we already have to help Hades in adition of finding Zeus's stupid bolt-"

"So you are another of my half siblings, hum?" Interrupted him Ares, while Hedge was snorting. "There is something wrong with you, but whatever. You three will just have to get me a special item. I will tell you its location, don't worry, you just bring it to me, and I'll lead yo to the lightning thief. So, do we have a deal?"

Something in his voice told Percy that it wasn't a question, much more an order, but he shook Ares's hand and nodded.

"But you're a god. Why can't you take it yourself?" He asked. Ares growled, and his grip on Percy's hand tightenned.

"A god, like you said, is offering you help. I was on date with my girlfriend, we were interrupted and I forgot it there. Prove me you're worthy of being my half brother, and I'll give you a hand."

It seemed that the gods weren able to tell the difference between a son of Zeus and a son of Ouranos.

"There is a closed park, Aqualand. You'll just have to look for my shield inside it." Replied the God of war. "I will meet you here in two hours."

"And if we're not here in two hours?" Asked Piper. Ares smirked and took off his sunglasses, revealing two flames dancing in his eyes.

"You said you own Hades a debth? Well, I will send you back to him..._the hard way._"

Piper gulped while Hedge groaned.

"Now hurry up," Said the god of war. "Remember, two hours."

And this being said, he dissapeared in red smoke without any of the mortals noticing.

Finding Aqualand was easy. Entering was easy a well: only one slash of Percy's sword, and the chains that locked the front entering were lying in pieces.

They checked every attraction, but there was stilll so sign of Ares's shield. No monster attacked them, but there was still somthing that seemed to bother Hedge.

They passed by a gift shop, and, surprisingly, it wasn't locked. Piper immediatly grabbed a few clothes and entered a changing room. After a few minutes, she got out, wearing white short Aqualand, a large, red Aqualand Tshirt and surfing shoes.

"Seriously?" Asked Percy. She rised her shoulders. Percy decided to do the same, and after a few, all the three of them were dressed like moving advertisement for the park.

"So, who's Ares's girlfriend anyway?" Asked Percy in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Aphrodite." Coughed Piper, making Percy want to slap himself.

"Uh...Piper...about what hapenned when we were at the hotel..." He started, blushing.

"Oh...err..." Was all what she could manage to say, her face taking a deep shade of red.

"There it is!" Yelled Gleeson, pointing to the 'Tunnel of Love.' Before them was an empty, bowl-shaped pool. Its diameter was at least ten foot, and it was perfect for skate-boarding. A dozen of Cupidon statues circled it, as if they were guarding it. At the oposite side of where Percy was standing, the entrance of a tunnel, with a sign that Percy couldn't read due to his dislexia. At the bottom of the pool, was lying Ares's shield: a bronze disk, shining at the daylight.

"Seems to easy." Said Percy. "We go down and we grab it?" Piper turned to Hedge.

"Can you check if there is any monster?" She asked him.

"No. Nothing." Replied Hedge, sniffing the air.

"Are you sure?" Asked Percy with a frown. "Last time, we alomst got eaten by the drakon, and you didn't sense it."

"I am completely sure!" Retorted the satyr. "I was tired when I didn't sense the drakon."

"Okay, great. Piper, you come with me."

She blushed, but somehow followed him. Percy and Piper slid down to the bottom of the pool, noticing that it was completely made of mirrors.

"Nice." Commented Piper.

Percy reached for the shield, and grabbed it. He noticed too late that it was attached by a thin, metal string. Immediatly, a loud roar resonated through the park. The Cupidon statues turned and aimed at each other. Each arrow was attached to a golden rope, forming an asterisk. Then, magically, thousands of little strings attached each rope, forming a spider web. Hedge was shouting and hitting with his bat, but each time he touched the web, the ropes would wrap themsleves around his hand. Each of the staues' heads openned, cameras errupting from them. Projectors appeared all around the pool, blinding Piper and Percy with their light.

"Live diffusion at Olympus in fifteen seconds...forty nine..." Screetched a petallic voice.

"It's a trap!" Screamed Piper

Percy grabed the shield and climbed, holding Piper's hand.

"We've got to get out of here!" He yelled.

"Can you fly?"

"There is a web blocking the exit! We'll have to find another way!"

The mirrors openned, making Percy and Piper slide and land on the grounds of the pool. Thousands of bronze spiders surged from the holes; they were circling Percy and Piper. The spiders weren't trying to hurt them or even attack; they were circling them in a bronze crowd, preventing them from going in any direction.

"How about thunder?" Asked Piper.

Percy concentrated and raised his hands. A few seconds later, dark clouds formed in the sky, and a light rain started to fall. No thunder was heard, though.

"I can't!" He yelled.

"Well, try those small bolts you used back in the labyrinth!" She replied.

Percy closed his eyes, and a second later, a bolt appeared in his hands. He threw it with all his might at the web, but it seemed to dissolve in the golden material.

"Ten...nine...eight..." Screetched the metallic voice.

"Any ideas?" Asked Percy. She grabed his hand and engulfred in the tunnel, stepping on the army of spiders, and followed closely by its remainings.

"Three...two...one...zero!" The voice could be clearly heard in the tunnel. Projeors appeared from God knows where, and the dark tunnel was suddenly bathed by a blinding light.

They ran across the dry tunnel, stumbling many times oneither an unlucky spider, or a rock.

The tunnel was constructed in a way that the boats, after a trip in the dark tunnel, would get to an exposed end, then slide down a toboggan, and finnally end up in another pool. The only problem was that the exit to the pool was closed: a boat was broken apart and the only way out would have been by flying. By_ flying..._

Percy grabbed Piper's wrist and sped up.

"Piper," He yelled, his voice echoing. "We're gonna sprint, then I'll use the winds to fly us out. You jump at my signal!"

"Okay-"

"NOW!"

They both leapt in the air, the winds blowing softly, and for a moment, Percy thought they were saved. He was holding Piper by the waist, the shield under his arm, until he felt a weird tug on his feet. He looked down to see an enormous bronze spider was gripping on his foot, and slowing him down.

They ended up landing hardly on the grounds, right where people usually stuck their head in a hole to pretend to be Noo-Noo the nice whale.

Percy rolled on his back, Ares's shield in his arms. He got up, stomping angrily the bronze spider, while the satyr was running toward them.

"You got the shiel?" He yelled to Percy's ear, to which Percy nodded in response. He helped Piper get up, and he looked at the pool, a few meters away. The cameras apparently filmed everything.

"The show is over!" He yelled at them, and, for some reason, he felt extremely pissed. Seeing the cameras were still filming, he summoned a bolt a threw it at them. The lightning exploded thre of the statues, and the others seemed to get the message, beceause they entered back the Cupidons' skulls.

"Come on, guys." Said Percy. "I have something to tell Ares."

He hated when people made fun of him, -who didn't?-; he rememred every bully he ever met, from Nancy Bobofit to Ares, and nothing would please him more than punching that guy in the face.

'_Calm down,_' he thought, '_you're a kid, Ares is the God of War._'

That didn't calm him.

Ares was waiting for them in the restaurant parking, sitting on a motorbike. When he saw them coming, he smirked.

"Nice show you made. You really entertained Olympus." He grinned. Percy threw him his shield, which turned into a bullet-proof jacket, that Ares put on.

"You're disgusting." Said Percy, while Piper was holding back her breath.

"You brought back my shield, I'll give you the information you wanted." Said Ares. "I know where to find the bolt _and_ Hades's helm of darkness."

Percy's eyes widenned, and for a moment, he forgot his anger.

"Both of those items were stolen by the same guy." He continued. "I know him, and he gave them to me. That's right, the bolt and the helm are in my bag. And you'll have to fight me if you want them back."

"Why would you-" Started Piper, but Ares simply laughed.

"Nothing is better than a war of the gods!" He replied excitedly, a glimpse of insannity in his eyes. Percy's anger ressurged into him. He drew his sword, and pointed it at Ares.

So all of this, all the shit he went through with his friends, was caused beceause Ares wanted to have a good view of a civil war?

"I am gonna fight you." He said calmly, surprising everyone, even himself. The God of war was the first to recover; he was now howling in laughter.

"I'll tell you what, kid," He chuckled. "Give up the heroic life. With your sense of humor, and that show on Olympus? You could be a comedian-urgh!"

What Ares didn't see coming was Percy's fist, coming right to his face. The son of Ouranos had tried to use the strength he used back in the labyrinth, and apparently, it worked. Ares landed hardly on a car, crushing the metal under his weight as if it was aluminium.

The god got up, with a groan. Golden bloods were pouring from his bottom lip, and his expression couod be translated to only one emotion: pure hatred.

"You're gonna hope you stayed in Hades's realm, punk." He growled, a five foot sword appearing in his hand. The weapon was rightfully frightening. But instead of attacking, Ares snapped his fingers. A giant, wild board emerged from the grounds. The monster was at least as big as a small car.

"I don't fight mortals, you are too unworthy." Said Ares.

"Ahh, hiding behind a little pig aren't we?" Retorted Percy.

The boar groaned, then charged, while Piper screamed at Percy to run.

The demigod didn't even listen to her. He was pissed to the highest degree; he uncapped his sword and cut off the animal's horn. It backed off, its left horn laying on the grounds.

"Come!" Yelled Percy. Immediatly, a lightning fell from the heavens and struck the animal. All what was left was now a fuming crater.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Asked Percy. "Hide behind another animal?"

Ares's sunglasses seemed to melt; the fire in his eyes was probably the cause.

"I could turn you to a..."

"Cockroache. I know. Or an ant. And it would save his Highness to get his Godly butt kicked, right?"

A part of Percy's mind wondered: what if Ares was really _that_ much of a coward? What if he turned him to a bug, and ignored his pride?

"Damn, you really want to seeHades, don't you?" Snarled Ares.

"Honestly, anyone but you." Replied Percy.

The god of war roared in anger, and brought down his sword with a terrifying speed, but Percy saw him coming. He jumped aside, and, with one foot, he used the car next to him as a prop: the point of his sword should have pierced Ares's shoulder, but the God of war easily blocked it.

Percy remembered when Chiron told him demigods had an instinct for battle; he understood now. He was aware of everything: of Piper holding her breath, of Hedge yelling as if he was watching a wrestling match, and most importantly of every of Ares's moves. He ducked his oponnent's sword and attacked, with a quick slash of his own. Again, the god dodged. The fight seemed to go on fast motion: Ares was attacking with a tremendous speed and skill, and only Percy's reflexes were saving him. He was pushed to the defensive, and thought he couldn't beat Ares with his sword only.

He dodged a hit, and, using the air, he was propulsed higher. His foot landed on Ares's head, and Percy used it as a prop. He spun one time, and a bolt appeared in his free hand. Before he reached the grounds, he threw his lightning at Ares, who was temporaly stunned. His bag fell on the floor, shaking, as if a small animal was contzined in. Percy immediatly understood it was Zeus's mighty weapon, reacting to its element. A crazy idea popped up in Percy's mind. He backed off and raised his sword. A ligning struck the bronze sword, and another...When he lowered his weapon, it was vibrating with electricity. Ares blinked a few times.

"Nice trick, but it won't save you. I am a GOD!"

Percy took advantage of the moment: he jumped forward, using the air to gain speed and slammed his sword against Ares's.

"Argh!"

The god of war dropped his weapon, his hands hurt beceause of the hundred of volts diffused in Percy's sword.

Percy was about to attack again, when he noticed something weird: twopolice cars had stopped at the parking lot, ten meters away from the battle.

"Drop your weapons!" Yelled a cop, pointing his gun at them.

Ares roared in fury, and Percy was caught off guard. With a blast of energy, he sent Percy four, maybe six meters away. If the son of Ouranos didn't use the winds to stop his fall, he would be broken apart.

Ares waved his hand, and the same hapenned to the police cars. The god of war turned to Percy, his sword reapearing in his hand.

As he brought down strike after strike, Percy dodged, trying to get as close as possible to Ares's bag, which fell on the floor at the beginning of the battle. Percy dodge one last strike, and rolled to the side, right next to the bag. He openned it, and...there it was. Ares froze, lowering his sword, eyes widened.

Percy dropped his sword, and smile at the frightenned god of war. He felt his whooe body recover; a moment ago he was exhausted, now he was ready for a hundred rounds with Ares. His eyes pulsing with power, he pointed his new weapon at his oponnent. He was now holding the Master Bolt in his hands.

**A/N: Tadaaaa! Nice cut! I hope you liked it, and if you didn't, tell me what's wrong and I'll try to fix it! **

**And by the way, this fic will be split in two parts: The quest for the Masterbolt, and The War. **

**Oh, and please, even if you liked the chapter, leave a review. The more reviews there are, the faster I udpate!**

**TNM®**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: All right, I know you guys are pissed. I haven't udpated for far too long, but I hope you're still here. Now, I believe it's time to answer reviews, beceause man! 95 favs and 115 followers! You guys are the best!**

**Rachel Elizabeth Dare Oracle: **Here is more! ;)

**ADXray13**: Here is your udpate, glad you like the story!

**julian018: **I hope you like this chapter, thanks for the feedback.

**Charlee56: **First of all, thanks for taking time to write such a long review. I'm struggling right now to find a beta. I would be glad if you could do it, or if anyone reading this right now could be my beta reader. I don't know if you noticed, but I did some editing on Chapter 1. I will edit all other chapters to make sure they are better written. Thanks again for the criticism, it really helps to know that there is someone who's looking out for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Son of Oblivion7: **I'm still considering your suggestion, but it would be better to PM next time. I hope you'll enjoy the story, no matter the final outcome.

**I'll try to answer more reviews next time. Now...**

**On with the story!~**

Percy thought the bolt would be different; it was actually a short, metallic cylinder. But when Percy took it out of the bag, it grew to a five foot long spear, radiating raw power.

Percy pointed the bolt at Ares, who seemed now speechless.

"Listen," Said the god of war, apparently anxious. "You got your bolt now, you'd better take it to your dad."

These words only made Percy feel even angrier: Ares had proved himself a complete bully, just like the ones Percy met before, despite his 'godly' statue; now that he didn't have the advantage, he wanted to run. Percy thought about it: no mattef how much of a coward this god was, he was still a god. The only thing that prevented Ares from killing Percy was his pride, and his stupidity.

Ares shifted, moving slowly to approach his sword, which was lying on the grounds, and an until then unnoticed detail caught Percy's attention: the flames in Ares's eyes had a very small shade of gold, glitering in the middle.

"First, you're gonna tell me where is Hades's helmet." Replied Percy. "Unless you want to know how does it feel to be hit by this." He added, gesturing to the weapon in his hands. Ares openned his mouth to talk, and closed it, as if someone stopped him. The temperature dropped, sending a shiever down Percy's spin. A second passed, then another, and, without previous warning, a loud sound resounded, similar to a gun shot, and an extremely high figure appeared between the God of War and Percy.

Percy noticed Ares was as shocked as he was. The newcomer was wearing a black smoking, and his brown hair was tied in a pony tail, but the most surprising part of his body was his pale skin: it was covered with hundreds of scratches, as if he got attacked by a small animal, say, a furious hamster.

As he approached, Percy felt as if he already met this man.

Mister Smoking was easily above six feet, and it was with a surprisingly soft voice that he spoke.

"I see my brother was right. The Olympians cannot do anything right."

"Die!" Came out Hedge's voice. The satyr hadn't even attacked that Mister Smoking smiled and waved his hand. The satyr stopped then collapsed, snoring loudly. Percy, stunned, looked at Piper, who looked back at him with fear in her eyes.

Ares, who seemed to have completly forgotten Percy, stared at him, several expresions altered on his face — surprise, fear, then anger.

"What did you -"

"It seems," Continued the man. "that you got beaten by a demigod. Hmm...and I thought we could trust you."

Ares was litterally shaking with anger. He waved his hand, and a wall of fire circled the parking lot, destroying two cars in the process. Percy heard screams and shouts, but he was entirely focusing on Ares.

"You owe me respect! Remember your place!" Snapped the god of war, spitting on the grounds.

"Who are you?" Asked Percy, raising the bolt.

"I am Prometheus, godling, " he replied, smiling warily. Percy vaguely remembered a legend about this guy, and he was pretty sure he was a Titan.

"Um...the guy who stole fire, right?" Asked Percy. "Aren't you supposed to be tied to a rock, getting eaten by birds or something?"

Prometheus grimaced, and scratched his chin.

"I was freed by Hercules, but let us not talk about this. I am rather surprised you found the bolt..." He continued. "I manipulated the prophecy to send you in the wrong place...and Ares threw all of this out of the window beceause of a shield."

Prometheus sighed, as if he was exhausted after ten hours of work, making Percy almost want to pat him on the back.

"Wait, you _manipulated_ the prophecy?" Asked Piper, stepping forward.

"Hmm, daughter of Aphordite, aren't you?" Retorted Prometheus. "Yes, I have this power, or rather, I recovered it, but this is not the point. I believe you encountered my brother down there. Forgive Ares's stupidity, you shouldn't have been aware of the identity of the thief. Now hand it to me, and nobody will get hurt."

He stuck out his hand, a warm smile on his face.

"So, I give it to you, and we walk back home, right?" Said Percy.

Prometheus nodded. "I do not want to hurt anybody, espescially mortals. Trust me, this choice of yours will save many lives. It is the right thing to do. Join us, Percy, your brothers."

The tone wasn't very friendly anymore, and Percy felt a sting of fear. Ares lost beceause he had too much pride. This guy was obviously much more dangerous; he wouldn't get himslef in any stupid trap.

"Wait...what did you-?"

"You are my father's son, aren't you?" Said Prometheus impatiently. "Then you have nothing tying you to Olympus. Percy think about it-"

"Join...what? I have no idea about what you're talking about."

"Me neither." Said Ares, momentarily forgetting his anger. "This brat is Zeus's kid, what the hell are you talking about?"

Prometheus threw his head backward and laughed.

"He is the Sky's son, not Zeus's. His scent has been remarkably covered by Kronos, beceause our lord knows Percy will make the right choice." Said the Titan, making Ares's eyes widen.

"Then he _has_ to die! Quick, I'm going to bring him to father, and-"

A barking laughter cut him off.

"Didn't I tell you, Percy?" Said Prometheus sweetly. "The Olympians, what good are they? They abandon their children, and kill anyone who might be a threat. Ares has been cursed by Kronos, so that he wouldn't stupidly tell his father about our plans, and look, one chance at killing an innocent made him so thrilled that he recovered for a moment!"

The Titan laughed again, and Percy couldn't deny that he had a point. What did the Olympians do for him? Hell, he just met one who immediatly tried to kill him. Prometheus was right.

"Now, I am going to make you an offer." Continued the Titan. "Come with me. Your friends can come too if they want, and if they don't, we'll let them go. A war is about to begin, Percy, and the Titans will be the winning side. Now, is your choice: will you win or will you die for ungrateful murderers?"

Prometheus looked honest, as if he really cared about them, while Ares seemed puzzled. Percy looked at the bolt, and raised his hand before having even decided, as if something made him do it, but the worst was that he somehow didn't even care about it. He tried to move, stop, jump away, but his body didn't obey. The bolt was two inches away from Prometheus's stretched hand, when Piper took a step froward.

"No."

Prometheus rised an eyebrow, and Percy's hand stopped.

"Percy, I can't believe you're buying what he says!" She said, her voice shaking a little bit."I mean, you just met this guy, what if he is lying? He just wants the bolt to kill us all!"

Her words had an effect on Percy: he felt regaining control of his body. Prometheus's eyes narrowed, and just as he moved, Percy raised the bolt. The Titan had a little smile, then backed off, both his hands raised.

"Calm down, Percy Jackson. You and your girlfriend don't know what you're talking about." He said calmly.

"Percy, don't trust him!" Pleaded Piper.

Promeheus openned his mouth, probably to convince Percy further, but the demigod had already made his decision. Before any of them could move, a lightning hit the Titan square in the chest, sending him flying a few meters away. When he got up, his clothes were fuming, and he was slightly grimacing. He greeted his teeth, and stared at Percy.

"You don't know what you are doing. If you refuse to join us, you're engaging in a war you can't win!" He said threatningly.

"Who got beaten now?" Snorted Ares.

"I don't care." Replied Percy. "All I know is that you'd better get out of her while you still can...or else."

Prometheus glared at him, then, surprisingly, his lips tugged to a painfull smile.

"We will meet again. You will regreet refusing the Titans' help."

Percy rolled his eyes, while the Titan painfully got up, and a second later, he dissapeared in thin air.

"Before I leave, Jackson, I will curse you." Growled Ares, glaring at Percy. "Your sword will fail you when you need it the most. Whenever you fight, you will remember the curse of Ares!"

A shiever went down Percy's spin, and Ares started to glow. Percy looked away, helding up his hands to protect his eyes from the golden light, then as soon as it started, the light faded, and Percy openned his eyes. The God of War had left.

Percy grabbed the bag, and put the bolt back in it. He felt dizzy, but guessed it was probably due to the godly weapon. Apparently, Prometheus leaving was enough to undo the spell on Gleeson; the satyr started to move, then jumped on his feet, strangely not yelling his favorite phrase. Piper threw herself at Percy and hugged him hard enough to break his ribs. Two seconds later, she backed away, and slapped him.

"You just attacked a god!" She screamed, while Hedge was cheering.

"And I saw him!" He yelled, swinging his bat. "Kid, with a little more practice, I might be proud of you."

Percy blushed and smiled sheepishly. He looked at the bag in his hands and gestured to it.

"Only one left." He said. "What now? We bring back the bolt then go find Hades's helmet? Beceause it's not in the bag. Either Ares lied about stealing it, or he hid it elswhere."

"I don't know...but one thing is sure, monsters won't be a problem anymore." Replied Piper. Percy rised his shoulders and put on the bag.

"We should go then. The police is already here." Said Percy, gesturing to the police cars which circled the place. Percy grabbed both Piper and Hedge and dragged them away, but soon they were stopped by a woman and a cameraman.

"Excuse me, did you see what hapenned?" She asked urgently. She had brown hair, much like Piper's, and looked like a teenager who loved to stuff her fingers in wall sockets.

"Um...no, please, forget you saw us." Replied Piper quickly, her charmspeak stunning both of the woman and the cameraman. The trio walked past the group of policemen and reporters, which would have been impossible if Piper wasn't there, and stopped only when the noise of police cars couldn't be heard, numerous streets away. Percy checked in his pocket and found the pen was back. He looked around; people were passing by, but no one paid attention to him. He didn't walk carefully enough, and he triped on a bin, making all kinds of trash fall on the grounds; from a newspaper with a subaway explosion as a headline, to ice cream wrapper. Hedge glared at the bin, and Percy carelessly pushed away the trash. After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke up.

"We should get away from here. Mr Hedge, we're gonna take a bus," He said. "Can you...make it look like we paid...you know...using the mist."

Hedge rised his shoulders and started to chew his bat, a bad habbit that certainly wasn't very healthy. A few minutes passed, until a bus finnaly stopped. The trio walked in and sat at the bottom, trying to avoid attracting attention.

Percy glanced at his friends; Hedge was as usual, but Piper seemed a little bit shaken. He put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to him, only to see him managing a smile. She smiled back feebly, and caught her face between her hands. Percy decided to let her rest, and reported his attention elsewhere. While he was staring out of the window, something caught his attention. It was a conversation between two old men, sitting right before the trio.

"So...you really are going to tell the cops about it?" Said the first one.

"Hell yeah! Believe me, I know what I saw." Replied the second, his voice close to hysteria. "What did they say it was? A gaz explosion, right? Well, I say bullshit. There was something in there...I swear to God, I'm not crazy! What do you want?" He added, looking at Percy, who had been staring at them for too long. The boy shook his head and looked away.

"Percy, if you're done bothering old people, we'll get out right here." Came Piper's voice. He nodded at her and they got up. Gleeson rised his shoulders, and waved his hand, and it was as if they were invisible: absoluetly none of the mortals looked at them, even when Percy stepped on a man's foot by accident. The trio got out of the bus, and Percy vaguely heard "Have a nice day!" behind him. The street they stopped at was empty; somewhy, it reminded Percy of the day he fell in the Grand Canyon.

"How are we going to-" Started Piper, but Percy stopped her. He heard a loud noise, and he looked up. He searched for the source of the noise and found: it was a black point in the sky. As it got closer, Percy had to admit it was...

"Festus!" He exclaimed.

The dragon landed brutally on the grounds before them, stepping on a bike in the process. He proudly shook his massive heads, and looked down at the trio. A large grin passed across Percy's face.

"How did he manage to follow us?!" He asked. The dragon growled, and lowered his body.

"Who cares? Let's go!" Said Piper.

Percy jumped on the dragon's neck, stucking out his hand to help Piper. She got on and sat behind him, while Hedge stayed at last.

"Okay, bud." Said Percy. "Take us away."

With a powerful movement of Festus's wings, they started to rise in the air, until the buildings looked like small squares to them. He felt a rush of joy; he was in his element again.

"I suggest we go to Florida!" Yelled Percy to cover the sound of the winds. "And find Nemo-"

"Nereus." Corrected him Hedge.

"Yeah...maybe he knows about the helm's location!" He finished. "Okay then, Festus, take us to Florida! Errm...if you know where it is."

The dragon groaned loudly, and Percy hoped it meant 'Sure, hold on!'. Festus changed his direction, and Percy glanced at the city below them. For some reason, he remembered his mom in New York, stuck with Gabe, and probably awaiting for him. He felt guilty about not telling her the truth, and made a self note to contact her as soon as he could. Time flew, unnoticed by Percy, who was wondering why did he feel weird around Prometheus.

Prometheus. The Titan would have probably convinced Percy to join him, had not Piper interferred.

"Uh...Piper?"

"Yeah?" She replied.

He turned to her, and couldn't help but notice how beatiful she looked. He shook his head, and blinked a few times.

"I wanted to...thank you. You know, without you, Prometheus would have gotten what he wanted."

"Oh." She said quietly.

"And..." Continued Percy, not too sure about what he was going to say next.

"And?"

"I wanted to...err...about what you said at Aqualand...you know..."

"Oh. Right..."

Percy felt his cheeks redden. A part of him noticed how ridicoulous the situation was: he just battled a god without any hesitation, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about his emotion. He gathered his courage, and smiled, trying to look sure of himself.

"You know what," He said. "After this quest is over, we could... go on a date?"

He was completely shocked by his own words, but it worked; Piper smiled, and tried to look away. Percy completely turned to her, definitely not affraid of falling, and caught her face between his hands. Staring at her in the eyes, Percy felt as frozen as if he was facing a drakon.

"Unless you don't want to..." He added, but this time, Piper replied.

"No. But if you take me to the Tunnel of Love, you're screwed." She murmured. Then, she warpped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

If he was on the grounds, and not in his domain, Percy would have lost his balance and fell off.

"Hey! It is getting to emotionnal now, you two better stop!" Threatened Hedge, poking Percy's chest with his bat.

Percy gently pulled away and laughed, turning bright red, much like Piper.

"Hum...how are we going to find Nero?" He asked, eager to change the subject. "Do you know how he looks like?"

"Not his looks, his smell. It's unique. He always stays close to the sea." Said the satyr, chewing the tip of his bat. "Reminds me, your smell changed."

Percy stared at him as if he was an alien.

"My smell." He repeated. Hedge nodded.

"Since that bone thing we saw back there in the Underworld. You stink even more than a child of Zeus, no wonder the dragon found us."

"And why didn't we get attacked? Why no monster came to eat me?" He wondered.

"Well, Prometheus said something about Kronos protecting you." Said Piper.

"I understand your frustration. Too bad we didn't get in too much fights." Sighed the satyr.

For several hours, they flew across the land. Percy, who had been holding hands with Piper the whole time, didn't see the time pass. Once or twice, he looked up and wondered if his father could see him. Annabeth had told him the Olympians were bounded by laws, which was why they couldn't assist their children. Ouranos didn't have that excuse; he wasn't an Olympian. Hell, he was supposedly a part of creation, but he didn't even give a dollar to help Percy's mom.

He was feeling bitter toward his so-called father, and he couldn't wait to be over with god damned quest.

A few minutes after the sunset, Percy decided to take a little break; he closed his eyes and fell asleep, hoping for another dreamless night.

Like most of the times, his prayers were completely ignored. In his dream, Percy was back at the Underworld, right where they met Charon. His whole body was shaking, as the same hand which grabbed him last time errupted from the abyss. The nude fingers closed around him, and he was slowly pulled in the hole. Percy tried to scream, but to no avail; he couldn't even move. All what he could do was hope for the dream to come to an end.

"Aren't you excited to meet your elder?" Roared a voice, Kronos's, coming from the very depths of hell,-litteraly-.

Then, realization struck Percy: Kronos wasn't pulling him inside, he was trying to _get out_, and he was using the demigod as a prop.

Percy's eyes snapped open, and he was so startled that he fell from Festus's back. He shook his head, while the contact of the winds was refreshing him. He stopped his fall, and as fast as he thought about it, he was lifted in the air, flying by the dragon's side.

Piper was smiling at him, and Hedge was...sleeping, his chin supported by his eternal club.

"And you're asking me not to call you Superman?" She teased him.

Percy brushed the dream off his mind and smiled back at her.

"We're close now...Here is Florida."

The sea was calm, and had Percy been a better swimmer, he would have bathed in. The beach was not overly crowded; only a few people trying to get tanned, and a few kids here and there playing in the sands or swimming.

"Okay, how are we going to go unnoticed with a sixty foot long dragon?" Wondered Percy.

"DIE!" Roared Hedge, waking up brutally. He blinked a couple of times then rubbed his eyes. Without a warning, he pinched his nose and screamed in frustration.

"Damn, Jackson, you stink!" He yelled.

"Thanks alot." Replied Percy, rolling his eyes.

"I suggest we both go down and leave Mr Hedge with Festus." Said Piper, apparently restraining herself from laughing. The satyr scratched his chin.

"You know," She added. "In case birds gang up on Festus."

Apparently, Hedge seemed to buy it. He nodded gravely, and readied his bat.

"Remember, you'll recognize him by his scent." He said.

"And when we find him?"

"Don't let him go. He'll try to run away. The best way would be to take him away from the sea." Replied Hedge.

Piper nodded and jumped off Festus's back. Percy easily caught her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Let's go."

What's great about mortals, is that you can land before them with your girlfriend after a Superman-like flight, and nobody seems to find it weird.

The sand was perfectly clean, and Percy would have loved to lay there, enjoying the sun.

They walked side to side, holding hands, carefull to monsters or any weird scent.

In other circumstances, having a walk with Piper in the beach, espescially now that they were officially a couple, would have been great. The air was tense, and Percy struggled to find a interesting thing to say. He glanced at Piper and his ADHD kicked in, making marvel about the kiss they shared on Festus's back. He probably looked thoughtfull, beceause Piper waved her hand before him

"Earth to Percy." She said. He blinked a few times, then cleared his dry throat.

"So..." He started. "No weird scents here..."

"I don't think Nemo is at the beach." Replied Piper casually.

Percy didn't answer. They had been walking for quiet a while, and he noticed there were absoluetly nobody by the side of the beach they got to.

"Where is everyone- ugh!" Squeaked Piper, putting a hand on her mouth. Percy was quick to understand, as the same hapenned to him; a horrible smell filled his nose: a mix of sea weeds and...dead fish. It took him all his will to restrain himslef from puking.

"We must be close." Said Piper, pinching her nose. "Wait...I think it's him right there!"

Percy looked at the direction Piper was pointing at, and spotted a man, sitting on the sand. He looked, by all means, like Santa's homeless brother. He wore blue pyjamas and a grey bathrobe, and most of his face was covered with a white beard.

He was the only person, except Percy and Piper. Probably due to his scent. The son of Ouranos approached slowly, unnoticed by the man. When he was only three feet away, he looked behind him, at Piper, who preferred to stay back. She raised her thumb at him, and Percy turned his glance to his target.

He took a deep breath and tackled the man.

"Aaaah!" Yelled Ner...erm...Percy decided to call him Nemo. The half blood had planned to pin him on the grounds, but it was pretty much the contrary. Nemo was definitely not a feeble old man, and Percy had to tightenn his grip on him.

"I don't have any money!" He screeched.

With a mighty effort, Percy got on his feet, his arms wrapped tightly around the old man, preventing him from running away.

"I don't want any money!" Yelled Percy. "I'm a half blood! I want informations!"

When hearing this, Nemo tried to escape with a newfound strength.

"Why always me!" He complained.

"Beceause you know everything!"

Nemo tried to jump in the water, but Percy had an idea. He pulled the old man away, and willed the winds to pick them up. Immediatly, they were lifted higher. Nemo was still trying to escape, but Percy managed to hold him. When the old man stopped shaking, Percy landed on the beach, far enough from the water.

"Wonderful. I am being humiliated." Grumbled Nemo. "Go ahead, ask your question."

"Okay." Percy took a deep breath. "Where is Hades's helmet? Where can we find it?"

Nemo smiled wickedly at them, and Percy wondered why he left the Master Bolt with Hedge. Ah. There was a terriffying idea: Gleeson Hedge with a massive destruction weapon.

"Easy question." Replied the old man. "It's with the fire-breathing giant. That beast is unable to go unnoticed, even with the mist, mortals notice him."

Percy exchanged looks with Piper, his brain registering what he said.

"The 'fire-breathing giant'?" He repeated slowly. "Where?"

"I gave you an answer, now I am free!" Screetched Nemo. With a blinding speed, he got up, ran to the water and jumped. In mid-air, he turned to a goldfish, and landed in the water. A few seconds later, he was out of sight.

"Percy." Said Piper gently. "Maybe Hedge knows something about that."

Percy nodded, slightly disapointed. He grabbed her hand and forced a smile.

"Come on. I hope he didn't get eaten by birds." He declared.

Percy easily spotted the dragon. Apparently, Hedge didn't wait for a provocation; he was ordering Festus to burn down seagulls, and Percy could tell his friend was not happy.

He tightenned his grip on Piper's waist and flew next to Festus. Carefully, they both landed on the dragon's back.

"What did he tell you?" Said Hedge, somewhat excitedly.

"That the helm is with the fire-breathing giant." Replied Percy flatly. "Just have to know what it means."

None of them talked, and the only noise that could be heard was Festus's wings flapping.

"How about we-" Started Piper, but she was cut off by a loud growl, coming from Percy's stomach. The son of Ouranos blushed, and suggested sheepishly: "How about we first eat something?"

The restaurant they stopped at was not overly crowded. Percy was sitting at a table for three with both his friends, his face in his hands. He was worried about Festus; he hoped he wouldn't decide to randomly burn down the city.

"What can I get you?" Asked a voice, and Percy supposed it was a waitress.

He didn't look up, and he vaguely heard Piper reply, but he didn't register what she said.

"Percy? Are you all right?"

The demigod rubbed his eyes before answering.

"Yeah...I was just thinking." He said. "Reminds me...what were you about to suggest, when we were on Festus's back?"

"Nothing." She replied quickly. "Just a stupid idea..."

"Are you sure? We don't really have any plan..."

She took a deep breath, then said: "Maybe we could ask the gods for help?"

Percy's eyebrows shot upward. "How do you wanna do that?"

"I don't know..." She said. "I mean, Aphrodite did talk to me in a dream...maybe if we prayed-"

"No." Cut her off Percy. "If we relly on the Olympians, it's not gonna work. Besides, they probably don't know. We have to find something else."

Piper rised her shoulders, and Percy rested his head on the table. He kept repeating Nereus's words in his head, and just after the waitress brought their food, he figured out.

"I got it!" He shouted, litterally jumping off his chair, getting several weird glances.

"Got what?" Asked Piper curiously, bitting in a slice of pizza.

"What Nemo meant!" He replied excitedly. "I mean, I could be wrong, but it's better than nothing!"

Hedge didn't seem interested, and he chewed his food slowly, his eyes darting between Percy and Piper.

"So here's the idea." Started Percy. "A headline of today's newspaper was talking about a subaway explosion...I heard a guy in the bus who said he was there, and that he saw something...something big."

"And?"

"Well, I believe this was our giant." He finished.

Piper nodded thoughtfully, while Percy grabbed his pizza and swallowed a bite.

"All right. Where is it anyway?" She asked after a few moments.

Percy rubbed his forehead. He pictured the headline he had seen. "I think I know the adress."

Percy hoped he was right. After all, with his dyslexia, he wasn't that reliable on remembering adresses. However, when he saw the intersection they got to, blocked off with orange barricades and detour signs, he knew it had to be what they were looking for.

Chiseled in the street was a big square hole, the size of a garage door, cordoned off with yelow police tape. Steam bilowed from the pit.

"Great." Mumbled Percy.

The trio climbed over the barricade, ducked under the police tape, and walked to the hole, completely unnoticed by the people around.

"How are we goind to get down?" Whispered Piper.

Percy shrugged.

"I can climb down, thank you very much." Said Hedge scathingly.

"I guess I can take you there, unless you see another solution." Percy told Piper. She raised her shoulders and smiled.

Hedge snorted, tucked his bat under his arm, and started to descend slowly, clinging to the walls.

Percy caught Piper's hand, and they both jumped in the hole, the wind almost immediatly slowing down their fall.

As they descended, Percy felt a tug of panic; who knew if Hades wasn't going to forget their deal, and make the walls crush them.

_Not very optimistic,_ he thought to himself.

Gleeson was surprisingly keeping up with Percy and Piper's speed, probably thanks to his goat legs. Percy looked up; the square off daylight above them was now the size of a postage stamp. He suddenly landed on muddy grounds, his and Piper's feet splashing. A few seconds later, Hedge landed next to them with a loud thud.

"We reached the bottom." Stated Percy. "Where-"

He stopped in mid-sentence, his jaw dropping with surprise when he turned. They were now standing in a large cavern. He looked at both of his friends, who were as stunned as he was. The tunnel they came from emptied into it like a narrow chimney. The rock walls bristled with old cables, pipes, and lines of brickwork—maybe the foundations of old buildings. Busted water pipes, possibly old sewer lines, sent a steady drizzle of water down the walls, which caused the floor to be muddy. Several toolboxes, stacks of steel pipe, pallets of timber and even cars were scattered around the cavern.

Percy carefully walked forward, his eyes looking for any trace of the giant or, preferrably, the helm, his friends following him closely. A breaking sound echoed in the cavern, and he heard Piper yelp; Percy turned his hand inches away from the Master Bolt in his bag.

"Is that...a dead cow?!" Whispered Piper, looking irked out.

Percy looked at the carcass she was pointing at; it was skinned, gutted, and looked ready for butchering.

Several flies were hovering over it and, judging by the smell, it wasn't fresh meat.

Percy's feeling of being out-of-place grew, and it wasn't beceause he was affraid of Hades.

A loud groan, followed by a farting noise echoed in the cavern. It took the trio only a second to react; Hedge drew his bat, and Percy uncapped his pen. The sword sprang to life, and he handed it to Piper. She gratefully grabbed, apparently still upset that she had lost her dagger, while Percy summoned a bolt in his hand.

The light diffused by their weapons wasn't much, but it was enough.

Before them stood a ten foot tall giant. He had orange hair, pale skin, and orange freckles. His face was smeared upward with a permanent pout, upturned nose, wide eyes, and arched eyebrows, so he appeared both startled and unhappy. He wore a red velour housecoat with matching slippers. The housecoat was open, revealing silky Valentine-patterned boxer shorts and luxurious chest hair of a red/pink/orange color not found in nature.

The light seemed to bother him; he rubbed his eyes and let out a roar, steam blewing out of his nostrils.

"Who are you?" He thundered. "Breakfast? Excellent!"

Percy snapped out of his shock and stepped forward, his bolt raised and pointed at the giant's face.

"We're not breakfast." He said, but his voice quavered, and he repeated louder: "We're not breakfast. We're on a quest."

The giant's eyes narrowed, and he leaned, staring at the demigod.

"So, you are customers!" He proclaimed with enthusiast, and Percy was surprised by this mood change.

"Come on, I have everything you need!" He elaborated further.

Percy exchanged a look with his friends, and declared: "We want the helm of darkness."

The giant's smile broadened.

"I already sold it." He said simply.

Percy gaped; now _that_ was unexpected.

"To who?" He managed. The giant gave a bark of laughter, and replied: "That, I can't tell you. My customer paid me an extra amount to keep his identity a secret, and also to bring him demigods."

Percy tensed, his grip on his bolt tightening.

"You see," Continued the giant. "My friend runs a...combat club, so to say, and it really is hard to find demigod to replace the dead ones: he has too many monsters, and the monsters almost always win, so it's not fun anymore...Don't worry, if you fight well, he might give you a quick death!"

The giant stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, and Percy instinctively threw his bolt. The giant's eyes widenned, but he was no match to the speed of the lightning; he was struck dead in the face, and he fell on his large butt, shrieking and groaning in pain.

Percy summoned another bolt and leapt in action. The giant was up on his feet again, and this time, he was ready. A massive fist hit Percy in the chest, cutting his breath and throwing him backward, his bolt slipping from his grip.

With blinding speed and before he even hit the grounds, Percy willed the winds to pick him up. He landed softly on his feet, a hand on his stomach.

Restraining a groan of pain, he attacked again the giant, who was now fighting Percy's friends.

The beast attempted to squash Piper, but Hedge threw his bat at his head, resulting in a wet crack of something breaking — probably the giant's nose— and howl of pain.

With a sharp motion, Piper thrust the sword in the giant's leg, making him stumble backward. He openned his mouth, and reacting faster than he thought he could, Percy released his projectile.

The bolt engulfred in the giant's mouth, knocking him off his feet, and this time, he didn't get up.

**Author's note: Well, I hope it lived up to your expectations. Tell me how I did! Just a quick review, that's all I'm asking!**

**Now, I have a request:**

**TO ANY ACTIVE BETA READING THIS, IF YOU LIKE THE STORY ENOUGH, AND IF YOU'RE NOT TOO BUSY, I AM ASKING YOU TO PLEASE BE MY BETA.**

**Welp, I hope somebody is available. See you next time!**

**TNM®**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry, everyone. My tablet broke, and I couldn't afford to by another. Here is Chapter 8. Before we begin, I want to thank Charlee56 for awesome beta reading. **

**Now, onward!**

*Piper.*

"Is he dead?" whispered Piper. Getting no answer, she approached the giant's unmoving form, but she had barely taken three steps forward when he began to groan. Unarmed and freaking out a bit, Piper contemplated taking back the sword,  
which was plunged to the hilt in Cacus' leg. When she saw he wasn't just moving, but also getting up she decided against it. Percy rushed forward to stand by her side with Hedge hot on his heels. Piper glanced at the son of Ouranos, and she saw he was taking out the 'Big Gun'; a second later the temperature dropped, and the air was charged with ozone. Cacus seemed to feel it too, because he didn't attack. His eyes were fixed on Zeus's Master Bolt, and by the way he was looking at that Bolt, Piper guessed he wouldn't like to be its' target.

"Where...how...did you...get that?" the giant stuttered. "That doesn't matter. What I want to know is where is Hades' Helm," replied Percy, taking one step forward. "I don't have it...I already told you... I-I sold it already!" stammered Cacus as he struggled to get as far away as possible, stumbling on a dead cow in the process; he was really afraid of that damned bolt! Piper looked at Percy; he took a deep breath and then said, "All right, we'll make a deal: we're going to let you go if you tell us who bought it, and where we can find this person."

Cacus' expression lightened; deals were his specialty! "Really?" He said interestedly. "What if I gave you original fakes of Rolex watches instead? They're really good ones!" Percy shook his head, but the giant didn't seem to be taken aback. "And what if I gave you that parchment over there? It's not very useful to me, but since you can wield that weapon, it might interest you," he said, lifting a parchement from the ground that obviously had seen better days. Piper glanced at the writing; it said "The Path to Lemnos, the Sky's Legacy" in ancient Greek. It was obviously very old. But for some reason, Percy actually looked offended.

"We want to know where Hades'Helm is, not fake watches or old parchments; Hades' Helm!" he growled. "Are you sure?" asked Cacus nervously; "I mean, look at it this way; you could either get the information you need and go risk your lives. Or you could get some really great original fakes and sell them for good prices, so that everyone would be happy!" Percy shook his head, and took a step forward. The giant threw his hands up in the air, and nodded in defeat. He walked past them, carefully avoiding the godly weapon and stopped before one of cavern's walls. He walked down its length, brushing his hands against the stone.

After a short and awkward silence, Piper and her friends exchanged some unsure looks only to hear Cacus let out a resounding 'Aha'! The cavern shook with the sound of nails against a chalkboard, only louder and the wall the giant was rubbing sank in the ground; a large, dark unwelcoming tunnel slowly came into view. "And that is...?" asked Piper, trailing off. The giant's glance fell on her, and he replied, "That is an entrance to...uhm...what's his name again?... oh yeah! Daedalus' Labyrinth. This is one entrance to it. My customer lives there, and that's all I can say".

"Why the hell do you have an entrance to that labyrinth?" asked Percy. "This labyrinth has entrances pretty much everywhere in the world, including in the USA," replied the giant loftily, almost as if it didn't really matter just how extensive such a construct was. Piper swallowed thickly. If he was talking about THE Labyrinth they'd been to... "No lie?" demanded Percy, and if he was worried, he didn't show it. "I swear on the Styx this is the truth," proclaimed the giant. "All I want is that you won't tell him you heard it from me. So, do we have a deal?"

The giant stretched out his hand, and Percy carefully took it. He shook it briefly, then let go. "Are you sure you don't want some fake Rolexes? I have some great ones here and you could sell them easily, making a really great profit!"  
said the giant, spreading his bathrobe. Percy was quick to turn his head and avert his eyes; a sight like that could scar a guy for life! YYYEEEECCCCCHHH! And all that hair, too...! He declined the giant's offer, turning back to face Piper... prettier than that giant, anyway! NO contest!

"All right..." grumbled Cacus. "Percy, I think it's the same labyrinth we got stuck in," whispered Piper urgently. Percy gave her a 'duh' look and nodded, saying "We don't have a choice." "How about Festus?" she fired back."I know, Piper. But what can we do? We can't take him into the labyrinth. He's a dragon,he's way too big! But he can handle himself on the outside. Oh, and one more thing," he added to the giant. "Mind giving the sword back?" The giant scowled, then took the celestial bronze blade out of his leg, and handed it to Piper, still grimacing in pain. Too bad, he'd wanted at least that sword. What an item to sell, that one! Better than a REAL Rolex!

She reluctancly took the golden-blood covered sword, and looked at Percy who took it, capped it and gave it back to her. "I won't need it," he said simply. After giving Cacus one last glance, the trio walked into the dark tunnel.  
Probably for the hundredth time, Piper wanted to scream that she was sick of labyrinths. Percy could say whatever he wanted, the fact that they were better armed and entering willingly didn't change much the fact that they nearly died last time.

She was twirling the pen between her fingers, wondering how many hours they spent walking in circles. "What do you think this guy is?" she said, addressing no one in particular. Percy seemed confused, and she explained "I mean the guy who has the Helm. Another giant?" Percy shrugged, and scratched his head. "Whatever he is, we're gonna take it back." "How do we even find him, Percy? We might wander here for years before going in the right direction!"

Percy tilted his head, but didn't answer. "Actually, we have a few days at most before dying of hunger and thirst," stated Hedge; "although, if there's any cans lying around... or maybe some enchiladas?". A silence followed his words, and Piper rolled her eyes at him. "Way to cheer up the group!" she thought inwardly, saying nothing and giving away nothing by way of her expressions. "You know, we could just blow up the walls instead of going on, hoping to find the right path," said Percy. "Its not like-" "Shh! Did you hear that?" whispered Piper, clapping a hand over his mouth.

All three of them stopped, and a small clapping sound resonated in the tunnel. The noise became louder and louder with each passing second, as it seemed its source was approaching. Slowly and soundlessly, Piper uncapped the pen sword, while a small bolt appeared in Percy's hand. A second passed, then another... In the end, what they expected to be a monster was in fact...a little boy. A little boy who bumped into Gleeson, a boy who fell squarely on his back with a loud "Ooomph!"

The boy looked up at them with wide, black eyes. What shocked Piper even more was that this boy was young; he couldn't have been more than eleven years old. He wore a grey hooded pull over, a torn pair of jeans that was too large for him, and his face was covered with dirt. "Umm...hello?" said Piper, half expecting him to transform into a monster. The boy didn't say anything; he kept staring at them, his mouth agape. "Who are you?" Asked Percy, rather gently. This seemed to have more effect: the kid swallowed and stuttered: "N-Nico. I'm Nico."

"All right, Nico. What are you doing here?" demanded Percy. "This isn't a really safe place you know". "My sister ... please ... you gotta help me!" pleaded the younger boy suddenly. Percy's eyebrows shot upward, and he turned briefly to Piper and Hedge right before saying, "What is it? Your sister needs help?" "Please...she told me to...to leave but I c-can't-," the child stuttered excitedly. He was talking so fast they almost couldn't understand him, plus he had an Italian accent, all of which made it harder to make sense of what he was stuttering.

"Hey, hey! Calm down and explain it slowly, alright?" asked Piper smoothly, allowing some charmspeak in her voice. She knew it wasn't very honest, but the boy seemed too shaken to speak clearly. Nico closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then he uttered, his voice barely above a whisper,"It has been a few months since they caught us. Everyday, they send kids j-just like us against large monsters...Until today. I managed to escape, beceause they forgot to lock me in. I ran away...I wanted to come back for Bianca..."

"Bianca? That's your sister, right?" Stated Percy. Nico nodded quickly, and added. "Please...could you...help me? I can't...I don't have a way to fight them or help my sister! You guys have weapons! Please, they want to kill her-" "All right, all right Nico," Percy cut him off. He needed details and he had to take charge of this conversation, and fast. "Where is your sister?" The boy's face brightened, and he clumsily got up. "She's right over there, in that direction!" he said as he pointed a shaking finger to the direction he'd just come from.

Finding the place had been easier than Piper thought. The entrance to the prison where Nico's sister was being held was a large, metal double-door, guarded by two abnormally large guards, armed with bats that made Hedge had tattoos and were hairy in...unexpected places. One tattoo said "Mama" in a red heart on the left one's right bicep. He was so large they could see it all very clearly from where they were four of them had stopped in a corner, away from the guards' attention, debating the best way to get in. "You're sure your sister is here?" whispered Percy to Nico. The boy nodded sharply, and Percy went on. "Can you get yourself inside, you know, to find your sis easily?"

Another sharp nod, followed by a belch that made all of them jump in surprise. "Smells like fresh meat around here," said a raspy voice, coming from one of the guards. "No shit, there's a bunch of demigods inside," retorted the other. Percy took a deep breath, then he peeked out from their hideout. "Hey!" He yelled at the guards; "Uh...fresh demigods here! We're really fresh!"

The two giant-like guards seemed to buy it. They simultaneously stepped forward, and when the dim light illuminated their faces Piper had a terrible flashback of Dylan the cyclope. Both of the giants had only one large eye in the middle of their hideous faces. "See, I didn't lie!" sneered the first one at his compagnion. That being said, he hurled his tree-sized bat at them, and Piper didn't even have time to check if Nico or Hedge dodged; she instinctively jumped away.

"Hey, leave me some!" grumbled the second one. "I-"; he didn't have time to finish. As fast as a thought, Hedge, holding Nico's collar in one hand had thrown his bat at the cyclope, knocking him flat and OUT. The little boy whistled, and said "Do it again!", clearly impressed. Piper turned her attention to the second monster, and she saw that he had Percy cornered. She launched herself forward and thrust her sword in the one-eyed giant's back, the point sticking out through his belly. The cyclope had just enough time to bow down his head, probably looking at the bronze blade sticking out of his stomach,and utter a quick "Oh shit..." before exploding into golden dust.

"Nice one," commented Percy with a smile. She helped him up, and he turned to Nico and Hedge. Hedge then said "All right, cupcakes. Let's get in, free Nico's sister and be done with it". Piper raised the sword, which felt more and more natural in her hand; one slash of the bronze blade was all it took to cut the chains that were keeping the door closed, revealing a set of stairs leading down with no source of light whatsoever. They marched in, the shuffling sound of their steps echoing in the darkness. When Piper heard the door close behind them, she felt herself get goose bumps. Like someone... some THING was there.

It was hard enough to walk without tripping; she had fallen over twice, but her friends managed to catch her. Eventually they reached the end of the stairs, which continued onward to a long hallway. On each of its sides were several prison-cell doors. As they marched forward, Piper noticed the cells were all empty. Well, she hoped so; the only sources of light were torches on the walls, so she couldn't see very clearly. "She's here?" Percy asked Nico. The kid shook his head, and pointed to the far end of the hallway. "They kept us in cells on the other side of the Arena," he whispered and shuddered. "This door right there leads to the room where fighters get ready before being thrown in the Arena to..." "Fight to the death," completed Piper. Nico slowly turned his head and looked at Piper somberly. "Yes. To the Death" he repeated. And Bianca has no skills with weapons. She'll die." A tear slowly made it's way down the young boy's cheek.

"Is there any other way?" Asked Percy. Nico shook his head. "To reach the other side, you have to pass through the Arena. There is another way, but it's through the chief's 'royal' room. It's always heavily guarded, it's impossible to get through." "Umm," Said Piper, raising her hand. "We have what is thought to be the most powerful weapon on earth, which, according to Chiron makes nuclear bombs look like firecrackers. I think we could use that."

"The Master Bolt will be the last resort," replied Percy firmly; meanwhile, Nico was about to yell something, probably 'Can I see it?', as he jumped up and down like it was a child's toy. But Piper stopped him with a stern look, and Percy went on,"We'll get in, snatch her back and no one will notice us." "Who's there?" snarled a voice, and all four of them jumped in surprise, and turned to see...four soldiers, each wearing black medieval armor that pretty much made them look like robots. The one who talked unsheathed a black blade, and moved forward. He had a very impracticable helmet, which protected his head as much as it reduced his eyesight. "There goes that" four sets of thoughts went through four heads simultaneously.

"One on one. Choose a soldier," whispered Percy to the rest, but then he seemed to notice Nico's terrified look. "Uh, I mean, we'll all take out the fourth one together." Percy leaped forward, while the soldiers attacked, the hallway being large enough for them to charge all at once; he dodged the first two, and engaged in a fight with the third. Piper drew her sword and attacked a soldier. She found out with a mix of surprise and relief that demigod senses were just what she needed, instinctively dodging and attacking; but she guessed her foe wasn't a very skilled fighter either. After ducking a slash aimed at her head, she managed to land a powerful hit on the soldier's chest, effectively knocking him out.

She looked behind her and saw that Hedge stood proudly over two unconscious bodies, while Percy was still battling the last soldier. Sword clashed with bolt, and all of a sudden, a bright light illuminated the room followed by the soldier dropping his sword. Percy delivered a quick jab to him, throwing him to the ground. The bolt in his hand disappeared, and he rubbed his forehead. "Talk about not being noticed," commented Piper, and Percy playfully shoved her. "That was soooo cool!" let out Nico. "Can you teach me how to do that?" "Um, later," replied Percy. He looked at the four unconscious soldiers, and wondered out loud: "What are we gonna do with them?"

Hedge shrugged, and and idea suddenly burst in Piper's mind. "I know!" About 5 minutes later,they were all wearing the armor of their unconcious enemies. "Are you sure this is gonna work?" whispered Percy urgently. Piper was about to reply, but she stopped when she saw two enemy soldiers approaching. She straightened herself, trying to sound as natural as possible. "Hey Carl, how you doin'?" barked one at her. She simply nodded, praying it would work, and the soldiers walked past them. Percy turned to her, grinning like an idiot. "Nice job, Carl!" he teased. She elbowed him in the ribs, which clanged like a gong, and the three demigods and satyr made their way to the Arena, disguised with the armor of all four soldiers they met and knocked out earlier. Percy pushed the large gates in front of them with Piper's help, and they walked in.

The Arena reminded Piper of the Coliseum her dad took her to once, when she was younger; except the stands were overly crowded with mostly monsters, some humans and what probably were the 'royal' thrones in the middle. She distinctly saw that several women were dressing up a table in front of a large throne seemingly made all of stone and earth. There were two bulky cyclopes, both fully armed and armored, standing on each of its sides. The circular Arena itself was extremly large, with nothing more than sand covering the grounds. Twelve sets of large gates similar to the ones they just opened followed each other.

The spectators were all shouting and cheering, creating the same atmosphere of that of a football stadium, with at least as many spectators. Piper looked up to see that the ceiling was nothing more than the stones of the gigantic cavern this place probably was, and it was doing a great job echoing the constant noise. "Where do we go now?" whispered Piper at Nico. The boy swallowed and pointed to the door above them."There. When I escaped, it was through this door, and I directly ran above. I guess I got lucky that the exit and the entrance are facing each other."

The little group didn't seem to be noticed by the spectators, but as soon as they reached their goal, they were stopped by a female monster. "A goddamn 'she-devil'" thought Percy. Her hair was completely made of fire, and even then she could have been beautiful if it weren't for the two large fangs sticking out of her mouth, a few drops of blood glistening on her pale skin, right on her chin. But it wasn't that which shocked Piper the most; it was actually her legs. The left one looked like a donkey-leg, and her right leg was made of what looked like bronze. What the Hades was she?

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at them. "Uh...we are checking on the...um...prisoners!" blurted out Percy. Her eyebrows raised, she didn't seem to buy it. "You don't look like a cursed warrior..." she muttered, leaning forward...a bit too close to her boyfriend, for Piper's tastes. By said boyfriend's looks he shared her mind. Then the monstress's eyes narrowed, and she hissed, "You smell like a demigod!"

Percy let out a nervous laugh, and stammered: "Oh yeah, that...um...that's my...uh.." "After-shave!" let out Nico, and Piper would have burst out in laughter, if it wasn't for the fact that this joke might cost them their lives. "Uh,yeah,  
it's umm...eau de half-blood...did you, umm, like it?" he finished lamely, leaning against the wall. It was a lame-ass attempt to fake a flirt. The she-demon pursed her lips, and turned on her heels, stalking away. "Whew, that was close-"

"INTRUDERS! WE HAVE INTRUDERS! GUARDS!" yelled a voice, cutting off Nico. Piper looked around, and spotted the demon who just stopped them, accompagnied by three cyclopes and Piper felt herself shiver at the group that stalked in. "What do we do now?" asked Nico, his voice trembling. Piper didn't answer; the group of monsters was already there, and it was with a sadistic grin that the she-demon snarled, saying "Did you really think I was that stupid?" Piper shared a look with her friends; she decided they had nothing to lose by trying to put the evil bitch off-balance with some reverse charm-speak.

"Do you really want us to answer that?" Piper asked. It seemed to work as the evil thing paused to speak, instead of acting. The monstress growled, and stepped forward and said, "The only reason you're still alive is because I find your arrogance extremely entertaining," she hissed,running a hand on Percy's cheek. She ran her hand with a smirk that certainly didn't mean 'You look handsome', but more like'You look tasty!' Regardless of her intents, Piper was one hair's length away from taking out the bronze sword and slicing the demon in two. Or just bitch-slapping her with it, right where it meant the most!

Percy frowned and slapped the she-demon's hand away from his face, making her angry again. Maybe she was trying to flirt with him? The she-demon was livid now and shouted threateningly, "Unless you think you can overpower our army, I suggest you bow down and beg for mercy-", and then she was stopped cold by a Very LOUD Voice. "What is happening there?" boomed the Voice, and all of them turned to see the source of it. Silence fell upon the Arena. Piper could safely say that while she'd seen her share of giants for a lifetime, this guy was probably the most terrifying one she'd ever seen until now. And it wasn't beceause of his exceptional height of about thirty feet, nor was it due to the Hellhound skin draped over his shoulders, with a necklace made of human bones. No, it was because of the crown...or whatever it was that he was wearing. It changed with each passing second, from a pile of bones to a crown of fire, to gods knew what sort of horrors it was capable of showing. Each time it changed, each thing it changed to was more terrifying than the last. It was radiating death and coldness, and Piper didn't have to force herself to look away; the crown was showing her her own worst fears, and she would lose her mind if she kept staring at it, she was sure.

"My Lord," started the demon (obviously thrilled to be noticed) and turning to him, said "These are intruders; I caught them, can I keep-", but she was suddenly cut off. "My, my, isn't that the son of Hades!" boomed the giant, staring at Nico, who was doing his best to hide behind Percy. Piper couldn't blame him. Even Hedge looked affected very badly by the crown. The giant knelt and stared harder; "The same son of Hades, I believe who ran away earlier today!" he finished. Despite the fear that was tearing her apart, Piper wanted to yell at him that they weren't deaf, goddammit!

"And you brought some friends," laughed the giant continuing on. The other monsters started to laugh, as if unsure what to do. "Too bad, I won't keep YOU anymore little son of Hadesw2 Your sister will be more than enough in case your father ever finds out I have his Helm of Darkness." And at this moment, Percy had to open his mouth... again. "You're the one who stole Hades's helm!" he shouted, pointing at the giant. "And you are?" Replied the latter, his eyes narrowed. "I am here on Hades's orders to retrieve it!" retorted Percy. The giant exhanged looks with his guards, and the laughter died down. He got up, towering over all of them, and pointed to Percy.

"Throw them in the dungeons. We will keep them in case the guards get hungry," he ordered. Piper's eyes widened, and a cyclope marched forward, grabbing her and Percy roughly. Piper tried to get away, hitting and thrashing around but she didn't even manage to lessen the cyclope's grip on her. However, the son of Ouranos had a better chance of helping them slip away; after seeing a few of his outbursts of strength, she wasn't surprised to see the cyclope holding her dropping her and howling in pain after Percy hit him in his...well, his cyclopehood. The she-devil snarled and jumped at her, but Piper was quick to react; she uncapped her sword and hit her in the face with the flat of the blade, and the she-bitch went right down on her ample butt. But their victory was, sadly short-lived; two cyclopes caught Percy, one on each arm and held him still on his knees.

The giant approached them, coming down from the stands to a point just behind the kneeling Percy. The giant raised his sword and brought it down hard,slamming the handle down on Percy's back. Piper watched in horror as they dropped him on the ground, his hands gripping the spot where he was mouth opened in agony, his eyes nearly popping out of his head! A moan of pain escaped him and after a few seconds he was unconscious. The third cyclope, who got struck where the sun didn't shine had apparently recovered and taken hold of Nico and the shouting satyr. And as she and Percy's unconscious body were dragged away, the last thing Piper saw was the giant. His arms were lifted in the air, enjoying the spectators' acclamations and shouts of approval.

They didn't even have time to take out the Master Bolt. Encased in bronze chains and thrown in a cell, Piper felt pretty stupid... scratch that, really stupid. In order to make it worse, she couldn't help but repeat in her mind, 'And now you'll die why? Because you didn't use your all powerful weapon. Good job.' "I'm...I'm really sorry, guys," said Nico in a small voice. "You're here because of me." "No," replied Piper. "If anything, you helped us. At least we know now where the helm is." The guards had taken everything they had, all stillpacked in a bag and Piper thanked God they didn't bother searching what was inside. After making sure Nico and Hedge were all right, Piper examined Percy's wound. Piper prayed he didn't have a broken spine: not only couldn't she bear to lose him, but he was also the main reason they'd won a large number of fights.

Several hours passed, or at least so thought Piper, and they didn't do anything but wait. Their bag containing the Bolt was probably in the same room, but with the guards watching over them, Piper didn't succeed at anything. She even tried charmspeak, and it almost worked; it was the she-demon that she had punched who stopped the guards from giving the bag to Piper. Piper felt the monstress had something personal against her, but by seeing that she had a black eyes and pretty much a bloody mess for a face, Piper couldn't really blame her.

It took a long time for Percy to start to move again, in Piper's opinion. It began as a faint moan, which turned to a scream of pain as he jolted awake. His puffy red eyes landed on her, and Piper would have gladly hugged him and kissed in relief, had it not been for a)his fresh wound on the back, and b)the cold glare the she-demon was giving them. Percy squeezed his eyes with his hands and looked at them.

"Where are we?" he asked, obviously still not completely awake, and for some reason, Piper felt there was something cute about his confused expression. "The guards threw us in here," said the daughter of Aphrodite, looking out for his reaction. "They knocked you out; you don't remember?" Percy closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "How much time did I stay unconscious?" "A few hours, I think. Percy, you should be careful, that's a pretty nasty wound you've got there," said Piper anxiously.

The demigod shrugged and tried to get up, but he clenched his shoulders and fell on the grounds. "Maybe you should lay down," suggested Hedge. "If I still had my bat, I'd put your bones back in place...I could do it with my fists if you want. I'm an expert in most forms of field medicine." "Really?" asked Nico, his eyes wide. Piper rolled her eyes while Percy politely declined, laying painfully on the floor. "I feel horrible," groaned Percy, his eyes closed. "I can't even get up. Could anyone check and see if I still have some skin back there?"

Piper obliged; she lifted his shirt , and anxiously checked his back, while he was lying there, in front of her. There was a large, blue bruise still forming on the spot where he got hit, and just by looking at it Piper felt pain. But the skin, while raw was still there. "So, am I going to survive?" croaked Percy. "Um...how honest do you want me to be?" joked Piper, and he let out a sigh. Slowly, he leaned on the ground, his eyes closed, his head resting on Piper's lap. "Oh, and by the way, any ideas about how we could get out of here?" he asked without looking up. "I've got nothing," Piper shook her head, and Percy sighed again.

"Can't you...heal yourself?" asked Nico, looking hopeful, and slightly worried. "No, that's not my ability. If we had a powerful source of electricity, then maybe...And by the way, didn't the giant say you were Hades's son?" Nico frowned slightly, "I don't know who my father is." Percy got up, his eyebrows shooting upward resulting in a yelp of pain from him. Piper caught him, worried that he broke something. She laid him gently back down on the floor. "Owwwwwwwww, godsdamn, that hurts," he grumbled and closed his eyes. When he spoke again, his voice was slightly shaking. "So you mean that you don't know about the gods?"

Nico's frown deepened, and he asked, "Gods?" "Yeah. The greek ones. They're alive and they exist in New York City," replied Percy."You know anything about some of them?" Percy asked Nico. "A little bit," replied the younger boy. Percy continued, "They aren't in Greece anymore; they've moved with the times. Sometimes, they come down to the mortal world from Olympus, fall in love and have kids with mortals. Their kids are called demigods, and apparently, you're one. You and your sister too, I'm willing to bet." "That's...impossible!" Said Nico incredulously. "Nico, dude, you just met a bunch of monsters," Percy reminded him. "Trust me, your dad is a god. Hades, the god of the Underworld, the god of the dead." "If he is, then why didn't he save me and my sister? How powerful can he be if he can't save me and my sister?" argued the younger boy, then he buried his face in his hands.

"You're demigods too?" he asked after a long silence. "Yep. Except Coach Hedge. He's a satyr. Half-goat, half-man, if you're wondering what a satyr is," said Piper. Nico glanced at Coach Hedge, who took off his fake shoes showing his hooves. Nico's face took a light shade of green and he rubbed his eyes. "Who's your 'parent'?" He asked Piper. "Aphrodite," She replied. The boy turned his glance to Percy, and Piper answered: "Percy's a bit of a rare case. His dad is Ouranos." "Never heard of that one...I don't really know greek myths," said Nico sheepishly. "What's the difference if your parent is a god? You get, like, special powers?"

"It depends of who your parent is," replied Piper. It would probably have been better to think up a strategy to escape, but she had no ideas just then, so she decided to keep up the conversation. "You're Hades's son, so I guess you have powers over the Underworld, like commanding the dead, communicating with the dead, maybe controlling the Earth's wealth like silver and gold, gems and minerals, and such," she said absently. Nico grinned widely at her; "That's so cool!". She shrugged with a smile, and looked outside their cell. The demon glared at her, and she glared back. Finally, the demon smirked at her and blew a kiss at Percy, which made Piper feel the urge to stick her sword up that bitch's-"

"You know what, we could use that to our advantage," whispered Percy. She looked at him, eyebrows raised, and he told her his plan. "Hey! Over here!" The demon narrowed her eyes, and got up, approaching the prisoners. "What do you want?" She growled. The boy flashed a smile at her and leaned closer. "You know, I don't really want to die here, so I thought maybe we could make an arrangement." He whispered at her. She stared at him then took a step forward, her nose barely an inch away from his. "What kind of...arrangement?" she asked smoothly, leaning to the metallic barrels.

The boy winked at her and leaned a bit closer...and he stopped, lifting his locked hands. "I can't really do anything like that, right? C'mon, just untie me. It's not like I can fight through this cage, and even if I get out, I can't really move with the hit your boss gave me on my back, right?" She stared at him for a moment, and she suddenly backed away furiously.

"If you think I will betray my master for a pretty boy..." she hissed, and went back to her seat. Percy sighed in frustration, and sat down next Piper, his back hurting like crazy. "Hey, Piper," he said in a low voice, so that only she could hear him. "What?" "Could you please forgive me for what I'm about to do?" Not waiting for her answer, he got up as fast as his wound allowed him to. "Y'know, I just met you, and this is crazy, but I still don't know your name," he told the monstress.

"Uh-oh. Bad idea. Kelli kills her lovers," blurted a cyclope, and she glared at him making him shut up. Not getting the response he hoped for, he continued. "Well, I knew you weren't ready anyway. I'm sorry to say that, but your sis I met before entering, I thinkshe's ten times hotter and more dangerous than you. Why don't you prove to me that I'm wrong?". Kelli's eyes went wide, and Percy hoped that if it worked, Piper wouldn't tell him to get the hell away from her.

"What's her name? I can't remember, but I remember as sure as hell she wasn't a fucking wimp when it comes to warming up a guy," he said smiling, and it was the last straw; Kellie yelled at the cyclopes to get out, and they did so. She then unlocked the doors holding the demigods and satyr, and opened it violently. Without a warning, she caught Percy by the collar, and slammed him on the wall. Percy though she was going to slit his throat. Instead,she got on her toes as she was rather short, and snarled, "I'm gonna show you what it means to be a real empousa." Aaaaaaaand...slammed her mouth, fangs and all, on his.

She didn't really kiss him, she actually bit his lower lip, drawing a little blood and started to suck it. Thankfully, it didn't last. In her urge to sate her lust, she forgot that Percy wasn't alone. From the corner of his eyes, Percy saw Hedge spin in mid air, hurling his hoove at Kellie's head, a la Chuck Norris. It connected with a wet crack, and she collapsed in a heap on the floor . Percy looked at her for a moment; he didn't know what hurt him more, his back, his lip, or his pride but when realized he'd been molested by an effing she-demon, he turned around gagging, and almost lost his breakfast.

He coughed in his hand, and turned to see Piper glaring at him, her arms crossed. She waited a second then slapped him. Hard. "Ow! Piper! My back's broken, my lip savagely ripped, and you slap me now! Awww, comm'MONNN! It was out of duty!" he pleaded. "You think I enjoyed being raped by a blood sucking monster?" She stood there, scowling at him, then rolled her eyes. "Fine. But don't expect me to kiss you until you've had a bath. A LONG, HOT bath!"

Percy grinned feebly at her, then reached for their bag, right on the extremly large table the guards had been sitting at. He opened it, and the immediate contact of the bolt relieved every bit of the pain in his back and lip. He waited patiently, until he no longer felt any pain at all. He closed the bag, and as usual, he felt a little dizzy. "Hmm, monsters. How STOOPID can they get?" Percy thought, smiling to himself. "What now?" asked Nico. Percy looked down at the bag, then back at Nico. "Now, we free your sis, and get this goddamn helm back."

**A/N: *tiredly* Cut. Now, let's publish Chapter 9.**


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Chapter 9 is here, all right. By the by, the reason it took me three days is beceause each time I tried to upload the doc, it was somewhy filled with codes and all that nonsense. Well, here we go.

*Percy.*

Percy focused on his hands, and a lightning bolt sprang to life. He placed it very carefully between his feet grounding it, and slammed the chain holding his two hands tied on its tip. The celestial bronze chains gave in with a feeble sound, and Percy rubbed his wrists. He then lifted the bolt from the ground and proceeded to untie his friends. "Let's go, guys. I think I have a stupid plan." A voice boomed loudly in the distance;"WHO WANTS TO SEE DEMIGOD BLOOD?" echoed the giant's voice, followed by the spectators' wild yells and cheers. "You are seriously going to fight that?" asked Nico, looking slightly impressed.

"I hope he's gonna accept," replied Percy, and pushed open the doors revealing the Arena in all its glory. Instantly, every single noise died down, and Percy could feel the stares directed toward them. He waited for somehing to happen, but the awkward silence was too much for him to handle. He walked forward to the center of the Arena, and a part of him thanked the gods the battles hadn't started yet; he would have hated to find himself in between a fight opposing a cyclope and a hellhound or something like that. He took a deep breath, raised his head and stared directly at the giant, who was sitting on his throne, looking slightly intersted and surprised.

"I challenge you in a battle to the death, right here and right now," Percy proclaimed loudly, hoping he sounded just as confident as he wanted to. "You... challenge ME?" sneered the giant, getting up from his throne. He had barely finished his sentence when all the spectators erupted in very loud laughter. The giant raised his hand, and it was as if he turned a switch off. "Well, hear me, half-blood. Since you willingly came into our Arena, and had the skill to escape our prison," he stopped and glared at the guards behind him, who seemed to turn into ants under his stare, "Well, sons of Zeus are very hard to find, and often provide the best entertainment." Percy gritted his teeth and glared at him; being continually mistaken for a 'son of Zeus' had really started to get on his nerves. And he was anything BUT an 'entertainment'.

"I will consider your offer. But first of all, a little warm up." The giant clapped his hands, and the door before Percy opened. When his soon-to-be opponent got out, Percy's jaw dropped. "I have a soldier who wants to get revenge on you and your little group," said the giant with an evil smile. The demon they'd met right before the flood in the Labyrinth marched forward, glaring murderously at the demigod. His left arm below the mid-forearm had been amputated, courtesey of Percy but it didn't make him look less dangerous.

"Oh man, you again?!" moaned Percy. He didn't expect that at all, and from what he remembered they had nearly no chance to defeat this guy. "Yes, me again," growled the monster, and Percy noticed that he had Piper's dagger in his right palm. "I believe this is yours," he added, and before Percy could process what his foe had said, the monster threw the dagger at him with deadly accuracy. He couldn't react, didn't even have time to scream. At the last moment, he felt something collide with him, and he was sent to the ground. Percy turned his head and saw it was Piper who had thrown him out of the way, now laying on top of him. He opened his mouth to thank her, but he was interrupted by the monster.

"Do you know how painful it is, to have your arm cut off?" asked the monster calmly, quietly, sounding like a godsdamned psycopath. "It's would painful, I guess," replied Percy through gritted teeth. "Yes. I hope you will enjoy the pain, because your friends won't be allowed to help you; it's a one on one battle," said the giant,grinning at them all gleefully. Percy did his best to hide his fear, and gently pushed Piper aside. He glared up at the giant and got up.

"Well, if I win, you have to agree to give me back Hades's Helm of Darkness and free Nico's sister," he said defiantly. The giant seemed to ponder for a second, then answered with a wicked expression: "That is "if" you win. Take his friends away from him, help isn't allowed. And bring me the daughter of Hades." Piper, who had gotten up, looked at Percy, and he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She didn't look convinced, and he leaned forward. "Look, if I'm about to lose, throw me the Master Bolt. You use the sword. For now, keep it and the sword. Go!" he whispered in her ear. She nodded sharply, and right before following the guards leading her away, she kissed him; "Be safe,okay?"

"How touching," snorted the monster, not looking the slightest bit worried. Percy smiled and nodded at Piper, and she followed Nico and Gleeson Hedge through a set of stairs that led them to the thrones. After a few moments, they were standing next to the giant, surrounded by three cyclope guards. Two more of the monsters came back, dragging an unconscious girl. Percy was too far to make out a detailed description of her, but when the two monsters dropped her on the grounds, he saw Nico jump forward and catch her. The giant didn't even seem to acknowledge what was happening before him,and he raised his hand.

"Now, let the fight... BEGIN!" The huge hand came down and the battle was on!

Percy summoned a bolt; he had insisted Piper keep the sword and the bag, and instructed her to throw him the Bolt if things went downhill, but wondered if it was a good choice. He was starting to think that he should have brought out the big gun for this particular monster. Big... and FAST!? Piper was watching him with a worried expression from the steps in front of the thrones. He mouthed an 'It's okay' at her, then returned his attention to his enemy. Regrettably, he felt a slight pain in his back coming back again. The Master Bolt hadn't completely healed it, but it was bearable.

"Come here, little godling. Show me what little skills you have!" said the monster softly. Percy gripped his bolt, and approached slowly. When he was close to his opponent, he feinted to the left, then went to the other direction, thrusting his weapon forward, all within a few seconds. The monster hadn't caught up with the ruse, and Percy saw his opening; he STRUCK hard and fast and deep! The result was a deep wound in the monster's stomach, making him groan loudly. He recovered enough to lash out at Percy, who dodged the strike, and backed away fast! He was faster than the monster in combat, but inflicting small wounds wouldn't get him anywhere, he decided. The strike he got in wasn't deep enough. Percy realized he was going to have to end this quick. Going around his foe, who was watching closely he picked a sprint, and when he was less than six feet away, he leaped in the air using the air to boost himself, and thrust his bolt in mid air aiming at the hideous face of the monster.

The material of the lightning burned through the monster's cheek, leaving him howling in pain. Percy landed on the ground and rolled under the monster's legs; he jumped back up on his feet and spun around wildly, tracing a blue-white arc across the height of the huge beast, slashing through the back of a large ankle. He heard the spectators let out loud cheers, while the giant shouted: "Not bad, not bad! ButI will crush you, demigod!" snarled the hideous thing, and threw a vertical punch at Percy. The half-blood jumped away clumsily, not having expected the hit, and his left arm was caught under the mighty fist.

Percy's scream of pain tore through the air, and he felt the bones in his arms snap in several spots. His vision blurred and feeling weakened by the pain, Percy didn't even try to move out of the way when the monster's foot connected with his chest, sending him flying away and landing brutally on the ground. The world around him spun, and Percy vaguely heard someone screaming: "No!" His bolt had slipped away from his hand, but he couldn't care less; since the moment the monster broke his arm bones, there was no Arena, no fight, no stupid Helm, nothing...just him, and the unbearable pain in his arm. And to make it worse, the pain in his back was starting to grow and grow...

"Is that all you can do?" laughed a voice, while a scream of horror that wasn't his was lost under the shouts of the spectators. "PERCY! THE MASTER BOLT!" This seemed to wake him up; no, he didn't need help to finish this monster. He didn't want help. He somehow felt pure anger toward that smug bastard, and it gave him enough strength to temporarily ignore the pain. He slowly stood up, every single move a torture for him, but he held his grounds. The spectators held their collective breath, while Percy shook his head at Piper, and spoke, grinning stupidly at his foe: "I'm just getting warmed up." Cheers erupted from the crowd, most of them encouraging the monster to finish Percy off.

"Good. Me too," snarled the monster.

Percy squeezed his eyes, and coughed in his hand. The monster snorted and marched forward, cracking his knuckles. "It doesn't matter what you do, only an immortal can kill me." He grinned wildly, and godsdammit but Percy wanted to punch that smile off his face. A very high-pitched whistle echoed in the air, and Percy gripped his ears. "Well, it's a good thing I am tasked to help him, then," said a raspy, tortured but feminine voice. Percy jumped in surprise, and his head snapped up. When he recognized this...being who appeared out of nowhere, he gaped at the unexpected ally. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the monster back up slightly, just as shocked as everyone else was.

There stood, in all her terrifying glory, his algebra teacher who tried to murder him: Mrs. Dodds!

She was just like Percy remembered her: same clothes,same gray hair same permanent scowl, like she was going to yell at him over a mistake he made. "This is not just about the valor of some otherwise useless boy! It's about the symbol of power of my Master, Lord Hades!" Tghe Immortal Torturer of the Damned snarled and spit out her message to th now quaking giant. The only thing changed about her was...the two large, parchment-like wings on her back. "A-a...Fury!" stuttered the monster at Percy's side. "Why, yes. Alecto, myself!" snarled Mrs. Dodds back, but with a savage smirk. "Lord Hades sent me to watch over you boy, and with the only condition not to kill you." She pouted. "But this damned labyrinth made that a bit hard, and since I just found who the thief is, I will be happy to help anyone kill him. Even a half-blood."

Percy was at loss for words; at first, he wanted to yell at her: "Oh, f*ck you!" She had tried to murder him for the gods' sake! But remembering that he could use some help, he kept his mouth shut. "I-I...I am not afraid of you," claimed the monster, his pompous tone not hiding the fear in his voice, while the giant was looking at them nervously, his skin as pale as death warmed over. Mrs. Dodds grinned, and started to tremble. A second later, her bat-monster form had taken the place of her schoolteacher form, except much larger than the last time Percy saw her. She was HUGE!

"You say only an immortal can kill you? Well, I am an immortal!" She spat, then glared at Percy. "Unless you can still fight, I suggest you step aside, mortal boy," she sneered. Percy closed his gaping mouth, and putting aside his anger and hatred for her, he grinned. The monster standing next to Percy swallowed thickly, probably realizing he didn't have much of a chance to make it. He looked back fearfully, and a large mass landed next to him, provoking a mini earthquake. It was the giant.

"You can say whatever you want, Alecto, I have the symbol of your master!" He bellowed. Mrs. Dodds didn't seem to take that last comment nicely, and faster than any of the two massive opponents, she attacked. The Fury deserved her name, Percy thought. His old algebra teacher ripped the monster to shreds, clinging on him and always moving, like a spider. In a few seconds, the monster Percy had barely managed to wound was dead, the bat-like monster standing over what was left of him, just a few pieces of flesh and skin. The Fury let out a growl, a bloody bone in her mouth as she chewed and chewed. She spat out splinters and chunks of gore, all while grinning madly at the crowd.

The giant lifted his abnormally large sword, the crown over his head radiating more fear than ever. Alecto dodged a mighty slash, and flew a few feet away, apparently not completely immune to the Helm's power. "Are you going to stand their dumbly, or do something?" she snarled at Percy. The demigod rubbed his eyes with his good hand, and the bolt he had dropped on the ground when he got hit by the monster disappeared. As if put back in his good hand by magic, it reappeared just when he needed it the most! "Well,all right Mrs. Dodds," he said with a smirk. "If you're just as good in fighting as in being a bossy teacher, I think we can take this moron down!"

The Fury was pretty much the only reason Percy could keep up his end with a broken arm. The giant actually didn't seem to be worried about Percy. He hadn't even managed to land a hit on the algebra teacher, and the demigod could see he was panicking. It was the Fury he was worried about! Percy dodged a foot that almost crushed him, and he jumped away, throwing his weapon at the same time. The projectile released an electric discharge on its target, and the giant dropped his sword, looking slightly dazed, not noticing Mrs. Dodds leaping at him until it was too late.

The Fury threw the other immortal to the ground, pinning him and she looked back to glare at Percy with her monstrous face. Percy got the message and a lightning bolt appeared in his hand. He approached the struggling giant, ready to

plunge it in his heart, but a scream pierced the air. "Help me!" cried the huge "Master of the Arena", desperately trying to escape Alecto's grip. A second passed, then another, and nobody seemed to want answer the giant's call, but then... one cyclope landed brutally on the grounds, followed qhickly by another. Soon, all the spectators got up and jumped out of the stands and into the main arena. "Um... oh,shit?" It was more a statement than a question, but Percy couldn't see how they could win. He dodged a spear aimed at him, and slashed a cyclope's arm off.

The son of Ouranos shook his head, and turned his head to where his friends and Bianca were held. They hadn't even had the chance to move, and if they did they would have been swarmed by the sea of attackers. Percy didn't blame them. "Piper!" He yelled, and thankfully, she got the message. She took the bag hanging on her back, opened it, ...and accidentally dropped it. She looked at Percy, horrified, and he mouthed 'It's okay' at her. But it was not okay. A few feet ahead of him, the Fury was tearing through the attackers, but even she couldn't overpower the large mass. Either Percy got that damned Bolt, or it was Game OVER.

Percy dodged and slashed, dodged again, and he was tiring quickly, rendered almost paralyzed by the pain in his arm and back. He looked to the side and saw that monsters were backing away from him, and he felt a pang of relief...Only to realize they were doing so beceause the giant was running toward him like a furious elephant. Percy swallowed and fell to

his knees, closing his eyes. He turned, his back facing the giant, looking for the godsforsaken bag, but he knew it was lost. A stupid idea came to him, and he decided he had nothing to lose.

Time seemed to slow down as his right arm shot to the side, awaiting while Percy was concentrating all he could to try and influence the weapon of Absolute Lightning to make it reach out to him. At first, nothing happened. He could feel the giant was a few feet away, and was going to crush him in a split second, but he waited...and it paid off. Something went right through the monsters, going in a straight line and landed in Percy's waiting hand. The small cylinder grew to the five foot long godly spear of pure power, radiating raw electricity at the level of a nuclear weapon, a Weapon of Mass Destruction!

Percy could even feel, hear(!?eee) a small, vibrating sound, as the weapon seemed to shake in his hand and in his very senses, and he spun wildly just in time to hurl a powerful kick to the giant's stomach, sending him flying away from them at a tremendous speed. Percy raised the bolt, and slammed it on the ground with all his might. The loud noise of rumbling thunder echoed in the cavern, and the grounds shook. Power flooded through him, and Percy's arm stopped throbbing so very painfully. He looked up with a grin matching Alecto's, and pointed the weapon at the horde of monsters who backed up, obviously startled to see their leader so easily beaten, and by a... boy?

"You're not the only one with a godly weapon, bitch. Too bad I'm the only one who can actually do something else than look scary," he snarled, his voice ringing throughout the entire arena while the giant was just getting up. The giant was bleeding, bleeding golden blood and looking like he just got hit by an InterContinental Ballistic Missile to the face! The giant took an unsteady step back. Obviously, it couldn't be mistaken for a normal bolt. Then he blurted out. "You can take whatever you want-"

"Of course I will," snapped the Fury, appearing at Percy's side. "You'll give my Master's Helm back to me, and do whatever you promised the boy. I have no orders regarding the twins, but it would be wise to surrender them as well, idiot, as my Lord will think well of you for it. But only if they are unharmed." Percy shot a huge lightning blast, barely a few inches away from the giant, who cowed away. "Take the boy and the girl," the badly injured immortal beast groaned, then took off the Helm of Darkness and threw it on the ground. "Here, take this. Just leave." Percy smiled, and Alecto literally jumped on the Helm of Darkness. Grabbing it, she turned to him. "If you succeed in bringing his children to safety and keep their identity a secret," she pressed the world 'secret' threatningly, "Lord Hades will owe you a favor, demigod. Swear to me that you will do that, and I will bring you back to your beloved city." Percy replied, "I swear it."

Percy was jolted awake. He was laying on bare ground. His hands instinctively went to his eyes and squeezed them. He laid there for a few seconds, until he got up to a sitting position. Almost instantly, he felt a sharp pain in his back and in his left arm. "You're in New York," said a voice in condescending tone. Percy looked up and saw Mrs. Dodds standing before him, the Helm of Darkness tucked under her arm. His head turned to each side, looking for his friends, and he saw Piper laying on the ground next to him, but no trace of Nico, his sister or Hedge.

"They are at your camp," said the Fury to Percy's alarmed look. She then leaned and pointed a very sharp finger; "I have an order for you. You keep the twins' identy a secret, just say they are two demigods you rescued on your way."

He nodded, and she started to walk away, but stopped. "One more thing. I'll let you go this time Jackson, but if I ever catch you wrong, even a toe..." "Gotcha," replied Percy, nodding again equally solemn. The Fury scowled and then disapeared in thin air.

The demigod turned to Piper and shook her lightly. "Hey...Piper...wake up." In response, she turned and let out a soft: "Not now." Percy shook her harder, and she yawned, stretching like a cat. The daughter of Aphrodite opened her eyes and stared at Percy confusedly. "We're in the Big Apple," he said weakly, "thanks to Mrs. Dodds." "Where are the others?!" asked Piper; clearly, the beautiful and muzzy daughter of the goddess of love was very alarmed. Percy smiled faintly and explained to her what happened. She seemed to calm down when she knew that the others were okay, and she curiously looked around. "We're in New York City...but where, exactly?"

Percy hadn't noticed, but the place was familiar. He looked up, and saw right before him the door he closed behind him the last time just several months ago. He was standing right before his mom's apartment! "That's...my home." He said, surprised. "You mean...that's the apartment you and your mom live in?" asked Piper, now almost completely in shock. "Me, my mom and my...'stepfather'." The word 'stepfather' wasn't anywheres near accurate.'Useless-detestable-and-douchy-guy- I-have-no-idea-why-I'm-related-to-him' was a far more fitting description of Gabe Ugliano.

"Why didn't the Fury send us to camp?" wondered Piper, but Percy merely shrugged in response; which instantly caused him to wince. "I think you should...rest a bit inside. At least until you can walk." "Or fly," joked Percy, earning a smile from his girlfriend. The major-league beautiful daughter of Aphrodite got up, and helped him up. Sadly, his knees gave in, and she passed an arm around his waist to support him.

"Sorry," muttered Percy. "Don't be stupid," replied Piper. She then kissed his cheek, and knocked on the door.A second passed, then another...and Percy heard his mom's voice, the seetest voice Percy thought there ever could be, saying "I'm coming!" His heart started to beat faster against his rib-cage, and in spite of himself, he started to wonder anxiously, "What if she was mad that I didn't contact her? What if she...?" But all those doubts were brushed aside when he saw her, swinging the door open, the usual warm smile on her face, wearing the apron she always put on to make her signature blue chocolate chip cookies when he was a kid. He stared at her, a half-smile on his face, and he saw the spark of recognition in her eyes.

"Oh my God! Percy!" She cried as she flung her arms around him. Piper gently let go of him and smiled, while Percy wrapped his good arm around his mom. "Yeah, it's me," he said, and she took a step back cupping his face and examining him with a mother's eyes for her only child. "Oh my God, you've grown since last time...! What are you doing, where were you; are you hurt? And who might this be?" she added with a smile directed to Piper. "That's Piper...She's a ...friend," said Percy guardedly. Sally extended her arm and shook Piper's hand. "Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Percy's mother, Sally Jackson. Thank you for helping Percy get home".

"Umm...mom, could we...come in? I'm a bit...tired," coughed Percy. He was glad to see his mom, but there was one tiny detail...and it was that his fractures were on fire. And there were a few of them now. "Of course, of course!" said his mom hurriedly, opening the door completely. Percy walked clumsily inside, and fell on the closest thing that wasn't the floor, namely the couch. Piper sat next to him obviously worried, and Sally went to the kitchen, oblivious to it all.

"How do you feel?" whispered Piper. "Do you want something to eat? Or some lemonade?" called Sally from the kitchen.

"Um...some lemonade please," asked Percy. He shifted position, and took off the back pack containing Zeus's symbol of power. It didn't ease up the pain. "Percy, I think we should get you to the hospital-" urged Piper, but she

was cut off by Sally, who arrived holding a plate with three glasses full of lemonade. "Here, have some," said Sally. Percy forced himself to sit and took a sip of the drink. MMmmmm! Cold and delicious! Better than nectar or ambrosia!

"So, Percy, where have you been?" asked Sally, her happy face changing to a serious one. "I was worried, all that I got as a confirmation that you arrived at Camp safely was a call from this 'camp director' who gave his name as Chiron or something, and who told me you were okay, but you didn't actually get there!" "Mom, I...I was..." stammered Percy, but every single bit of him wanted to roll over and sleep. He had experienced fear, shock, pain, all of them in a row, and he was utterly exhausted. He got up shakily, and tried to blurt an excuse. "I'm tired...I'll explain later. I just have to-"

But he didn't get to finish his sentence. The tiredness of his battles finally caught him up, and he collapsed then and there. He didn't even hear both his mom and Piper screaming his name. When Percy woke up, he was laying on his stomach. Something very cold was pressed to his back, and he felt a slight shudder. "Where am I?" He wondered out loud, and it was a familiar voice that answered, making him jump in surprise. "You collapsed about a half hour ago. That's an ice pack on your back," said Piper, sitting on his bed. She ran a hand on his back, and he turned slowly.

For what felt like the first time, he caught a glimpse of Piper. She was there, looking worriedly at him, and he got in a sitting position and hugged her. He didn't know why he felt so relieved to see her, but he guessed it was the shock coming after all that he'd lived through, or an effect of the lack of sleep. Or a combination of them.

"Your stepdad's here," Piper told Percy. "Your mom asked me to stay with you. She wanted to get you to the hospital, but, well he came in at the wrong moment. He said something about delinquency... they're shouting at each other right now." Percy broke the hug and winced, but it wasn't because of his wounds. He wasn't quite sure of whether he was dreaming or not, but he was sure of one thing: he would give almost anything to get up and beat the Hades out of Gabe!

"Maybe we should get back to camp and be done with the quest," suggested Piper. "Or I could...I don't know... charmspeak your stepdad to..." "No. I just...don't know what to do," muttered Percy, sitting next to her. His back felt better, but his arm still tortured him. "I'm just...sick of him, I guess. I want to tell him to get the hell away,but..."

He caught his face in his hands. Then, making a sudden decision, he looked around for the bag. He spotted it right beside his bed and grabbed it.

Not answering Piper's questioning look, his fingers brushed against the godly weapon inside, and he felt his pain go away again. It wasn't completely healing him, but it was enough to make him able to move again, and comfortably. He got up, walked to his room's door and opened it. Just like Piper said, Gabe was there, his arms bumped by his large belly, glaring at the woman on the other side of the room, the same woman who looked terrified and hurt. That woman was Percy's mom. And at that moment, the half-blood knew his stepfather had hit her.

And not for the first time, either. But the latest out of many times. He did it without even Percy noticing, and it explained why she didn't leave this douchebag already; she was afraid of him. Feeling the pure fury taking him over, Percy had to restrain himself from punching this guy and sending him through the roof. He had originally planned to just physically break them apart and stop the quarrel. But now he wanted one thing, and one thing ONLY, and Gabe wouldn't stop him from accomplishing that thing. Ohhh, NOooooooo...!

The son of Ouranos had faced a lot of things in the last few days: monsters of all sorts, demons, tight situations, and even a god! And now, he didn't feel the slightest ounce of fear as he stalked toward Gabe, glared at him and said in a very calm, but strong voice: "Gabe, get out of this house." A silence followed those noble words, and Percy waited. It didn't matter what Gabe's reaction was; today was the last day Sally would have to endure his bullshit.

"What did you just say to me?" asked the obese moron, looking positively gleeful to have a reason to hit Percy. "Percy, please, stay out of this-" started Sally, looking worried, but Percy cut her off. "No," he said simply. "Mom, this bastard doesn't respect you. Heck, he doesn't even support you! He just hits you! And now, he's gonna leave, because he doesn't deserve you." Gabe cracked his knuckles, and Sally took a step forward, but one glare from Smelly Ugly Gabe made her sit down and swallow thickly. This only angered Percy even more, but he waited. He steeled himself, and felt the raw strength the bolt channeled into him, in addition to the one extra power he'd learned to use at desperate times.

"You're gonna learn to talk polite to me. I'll give you a lesson, you little punk," sneered Percy's slovenly, obese, good-for-less-than-nothing so-called step...whatEVER he was, and backing up he threw a punch at Percy's face. Percy just couldn't wait for THIS! The demigod saw it coming and waited, waited...until it connected to his jaw, and Gabe's greasy paw bounced off with a wet crack that certainly wasn't Percy's bones. Gabe's eyes widened in surprise to nearly the size of teacup saucers, and then the pain REALLY registered, and he jumped away a good ten feet, holding his hand and gritting his teeth, his eyes watering like twin rheumy waterfalls!

"AARGH! YOU LITTLE-!" He didn't seem to find the words and stood there, whimpering and moaning in pain. Percy crossed his arms over his chest, and repeated: "First shot's for free, you fat sack of shit. Get the fuck out of here. Or I'll hit YOU. And remember; if you're best shot only got you a broken hand, then just imagine what MY Best Shot will get you." Gabe looked torn between trying to puch him again and running away. He gritted his teeth, and took a few steps back, and, throwing one last glare at Percy, he went to hide in the kitchen. Sally was the first to react; she leaped at Percy and examined his face, looking extremly worried.

"Percy, what was that? How...?" She asked in a whisper, brushing her fingers against his cheeks, looking for any bruise. "It has something to do with dad," replied Percy softly, and she froze. "I'll explain later on but trust me, you don't have to listen to him or even stay with him anymore. And if he tries anything, I'll personally kick him out."

"Oh really? Think you'll do that, do you?" snarled a familiar voice, and they both turned to see Gabe, an icepack on his hand. "Listen to me, punk. I don't know what just happened, but what I DO know is that when my friends come here, you'll wish you were never born."

Percy felt Sally grip his arm, but he had all his attention on Gabe. "I'd like to see them try," Percy sneered. "A bunch of jobless poker players. What a nightmare." Gabe glared at him, and took out a knife from the kitchen. It was long

and sharp, and handled by a shaking hand. "Yeah, show me what you're gonna do with that thing," said Percy, carelessly stepping forward. "But, uhm, do you mind if I take out my own weapon?" He pointed a finger at his stepfather, a small spark shot through it to hit the knife. A moment later, Gabe dropped it, screaming in surprise. The blade was scorched and cracked where the little shot had hit. But Percy wasn't done. Oh, no. Not-By-A-Mile.

He grabbed Gabe by the collar of his shirt, oblivious to his struggle to run away, and dragged him to the manhandled the larger male almost as easily as if he were a child. He glared one last time at the fat bastard, and threw him out, watching him sail down the twenty feet or so to the pavement below. A small feeling of satisfaction flowed through him, and he restrained himself from laughing; he had just done what he metaphorically wanted to do with his problems: throw them out of the window. Of course, he hadn't killed Gabe. Simply willed the winds to slow down his fall until he landed in the trash right behind the bulding. An absolutely appropriate way to deal with trash like Gabe; throw the trash out with the rest of the trash!

"Percy, did you just..." started his mom, but he shook his head. "Relax, mom, he's fine. He just landed in the trash right where he belongs," he said with a smile. Sally seemed to be astonished, and she hurried to the window, looking

around, when she spotted Gabe, deposited squarely in the large green bin directly below the window. "How is he still alive? And how did you do that thing earlier? How...?" Questions came flooding from her mouth, but Percy went to the couch and sat down, smiling at her.

"I guess it's time to catch up, huh?"

It had taken some time to convince his mom, but in the end, she accepted the truth: that her boyfriend had actually been Ouranos,the Primordial god of the skies and that her son was a half-blood; that he was on a quest to stop a civil war between the Olympians. Percy felt relieved now that his mom knew everything and she agreed to let him go to Camp Half-Blood. But it felt a little difficult to tell her about their quest, espescially with her worrying every time they mentioned a fight. Piper had joined them, and they were now sitting in the kitchen, eating blue chocolate chip cookies made a week earlier by Sally and forgotten in the fridge since then. Piper marvelled at the amazing flavor, and to Percy they were better than anything else he'd ever had. They still tasted as good as the day they were made!

Despite the last few stressful days, Percy felt like he'd never left his mom. It felt so natural and happy to sit at the table, laughing, eating cookies and talking about his and his friends' adventures. But all good things come to an end and this did, too."Well, I have to go get dressed for a little leftover paperwork at the bank, and if I don't go now, I'll be too late to get any of it done," Sally said, getting up. "Enjoy the cookies, and don't be afraid to have some more."

She exited the kitchen and Percy heard her close her room door a few seconds later. "You're lucky. Your mom is great," commented Piper, biting into her cookie. Percy smiled at her then said: "Yeah, I guess. I think we should get to Camp now. I don't want to keep the Master Bolt anymore." Piper merely shrugged. "A few minutes either way won't make a difference. We're ahead of the last day by a lot." Percy grinned. "Well, didn't I say we'd do it in less than ten days, back when we were still at Camp?"

Piper swallowed, looked at him,and then leaned over and kissed him. It was probably what Percy would call a perfect moment; no monster, no quest, no bullshit, but actually in the middle of his own kitchen, safe from any threat, kissing Piper. He didn't know how much time they stayed like that, but it probably wasn't more than few seconds, and definitely not enough.

"Ahem." Percy jumped in surprise: he backed away in the same time as Piper did, looking around alarmingly, only to spot his mom leaning against the wall of the kitchen. "Really? How long have you two known each other? And what exactly does the word 'friend' mean?" Sally queried, looking amused. "Um...we were just- I mean, sorry, I didn't-ugh- we...errr..." stammered Piper repeatedly, blushing at least as much as Percy, as she struggled to say something, but Sally finally cut her off after letting them struggle for several minutes. Sometimes being a parent had it's rewards!

"It's okay. You look like a nice girl, Piper. And I guess going on a quest can create a bond between two people," Sally mused, thinking hard about this last part. While Percy wanted to die there and then. "But, at least, answer my two questions?" Percy rubbed his neck, and replied sheepishly, "Um, it's been over a year since we met at school...I guess ...you could say we're not just... well... 'friends', anymore." Sally nodded, still smiling, and opened the front door. "All right, I'll go now; watch over the house for me. And don't try anything I might regret!" she added mock-warningly, closing the door behind her. Percy wanted to slap himself for her last sentence, but at least he could say that Piper didn't take it too badly. She was pretty much like him, looking embarassed and...well, flustered. "So...there goes nothing..." muttered Percy, mostly to himself.

"C'mon Percy, if you feel well enough, I think we'd better get back to Camp," Piper said quietly, getting up, and Percy was quick to follow her. "I think I should meet your dad someday," he said absently. Piper made a face and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess...Well, if you can find the right moment for that. He's always busy," she said. Percy smiled and walked to his room to retrieve the bag. "Hey, Piper, could you leave a note for my mom, please," he called. "Just to say we're back at Camp?" "Sure," she called back. Percy put the bag on his shoulder and closed the door. He found Piper struggling with her dyslexia, writing the note on a piece of paper with the pen sword. "I didn't know you could write with that thing," he said with interest. Piper finished writing and put the pen in her pocket. "It was easy. I just had to put the cap on the handle," she shrugged. Percy rubbed the back of his neck, then said. "Are we going to fly or...?" Piper laughed, then replied, "Your choice, Superman." "You know, Superman isn't a very creative name," he commented, eyebrows raised. Piper pouted, saying "How about Airehead?"

Percy snorted and walked to the window. He looked at Piper expectantly, and she seemed perplexed. "Well come on, Beauty Queen, we'd better get going," he said, rolling his eyes. "Oh, yeah. Right. But don't call me that," she said, still smiling and closing the distance between them. "Well, I need something to call you when you call me Airehead,"said Percy wryly. smiled at him, and by the gods, but her smile was beautiful. "Well, I guess," she replied softly, then leaned over and kissed him on the lips. He felt her lips tug to a smile, and they deepened the kiss until they broke apart, breathless.

Percy was about to say something, but he saw something unusual in the air behind Piper. It was as if the air itself was trembling, and soon, a smoke-screen formed out of thin air. It was...Annabeth, realized Percy, recognizing the blonde

hair and startling grey eyes of the daughter of Athena. "Percy! Piper!" she said, making Piper jump in surprise, looking around her, only to see Annabeth's image floating in mid air! "We need you guys here! At Camp!" she said urgently.

Percy exchanged a weird look with Piper, but before he could ask what was it, somebody knocked on the door. He went to open it, but apparently, the person knocking wasn't that patient. The door was violently flung aside, letting in...a tall beefy man, wearing a grey sweater, who Percy recognized as John Black, a neighbor and one of Gabe's friends. Right next to him was...well, Smelly Gabe himself.

"It's this punk right there," sneered his stepdad, and Percy sighed. Well, he was still under the effect of the Master Bolt, and besides, boost of energy or not, he was positive could take this guy. "Percy, you don't have time to screw around with mortals," Annabeth scolded them from her smoke screen. "Well, I have to do something about them, or else who will?" asked Percy, rolling his eyes at her, while Piper sat on the couch and crossed her legs, looking mildly interested, and ready to jump in and punch somebody if needed.

"Me." Said a voice coming from the smoke screen, and Annabeth disappeared, Chiron taking her place. The centaur didn't explain himself further; he recited a few words in ancient Greek, too fast for Percy to clearly understand, and waved his hand. Almost instantly, both Gabe and John passed out on the carpet. "The mist," said the centaur. "Now hurry and get yourself here, Percy. The gods cannot help us beceause of the ancient laws, but Gleeson Hedge told me the Master Bolt is in your possession. I believe Lord Zeus will not mind if it is used to save the Camp." "Wait, save the Camp? What do you mean 'Save the Camp'," asked Percy, bewildered. Chiron nodded gravely in the smoke screen. "I mean exactly that, Percy".

"The Camp is under attack as we speak."


	10. Chapter 10

A demigod's life was by all means a tough one Annabeth thought as she made her way to the Big House, all the while killing and stabbing any monster within range. She had been calmly eating at the dining pavilion when the army attacked; she was not even aware that Coach Hedge had been teleported directly into the Big House with two demigods. It wasn't until a few hours later after the battle was over, that Chiron informed her of their arrival.  
She had been sitting at the Athena table with a few of her siblings, eating her marshmallow cereal and minding her own business when a very high-pitched war cry pierced everyone's hearing and stabbed right into Annabeth's brain. What thoughts followed could only be summed up in two words, and those two words were definitely not 'Happy Birthday".  
Arrows started to rain down on the dining area, and if not for the quick reactions from one of her elders who caught her by the neck and forced her under the table, Annabeth wouldn't have lived long enough to call Percy for help a few minutes later. Emerging from under the table with her dagger drawn, Annabeth had immediately jumped right into the battle, slashing and stabbing like her life depended on it; and it did.  
What she had noticed first was that the Aphrodite kids hadn't been so lucky; two demigods were apparently dead on the ground, an arrow sticking out of each of them. Their lifeless eyes stared up at the sky, but she didn't have time to grieve. In a matter of seconds, the half-bloods were cornered by an army of monsters.  
Most of the campers weren't carrying any weapons in the first place, and their enemies were heavily armed and organized. It didn't take a genius to figure out the problems. Her demigod instincts combined with her own thinking abilities made Annabeth register all those things in less than a second, and the first thought that crossed her mind was: "We're being squashed".  
As expected from the daughter of Athena, who wasn't one to lose her temper in panic or surprise, she had quickly thought of the closest and most destructive weapon that could give them the edge, and that weapon was in New York in the Jackson's apartment,resting in a bag while Percy Jackson himself was throwing his stepfather, Gabe Ugliano out of a window and into a dumpster two stories below. Entirely appropriate.  
Thinking there was little to no chance Percy happened to have found the Master Bolt and was close enough to lend them a hand at the same time, Annabeth had decided it was still worth a try. She had hurled herself towards the Big House where she could calmly make her call, and maybe figure out a plan of action with Chiron. That was something else; where was he anyway?  
It wouldn't take her long to get there but, encountering more than one demigod who needed her help Annabeth had a hard time keeping her priorities in mind. Very nearly breaking down the front door Annabeth ran inside breathless, and she instinctively called out "Chiron!" But there was no answer. She called again, and this time she heard his wheelchair's distinctive sound as he wheeled himself down the hall from a back room.  
"Annabeth," he answered, looking tired and worried. "Chiron, we're under attack, we-", "I do happen to know that," he said as he interrupted her babbling, "which is why I was attempting to contact Mr. D. Sadly, he is currently busy and we can expect no help from the gods."  
Annabeth caught her breath while he talked, and she started looking for a drachma in her pockets. "I thought maybe we could see if Percy found the bolt," she said nervously, looking for a coin. Seeing as Chiron only blinked at what she said, she continued, "If he has it, well, maybe he could come back here and lend us a hand...", Her voice trailed off, not quite finishing her thought.  
Chiron started to say,"Annabeth, there is very little chance-", but the now nearly frantic demigoddess broke in over the old horse, exclaiming "I know! But what else can we do?" Nodding without much enthusiasm, Chiron reached into the breast pocket of his "Mr Brunner" jacket and pulled out a golden coin. "Here, let us hope he has found it."

* * *

So far, Annabeth had been incredibly lucky; well, as lucky as a demigod in the middle of a battleground can be.  
She had discovered that Percy had the Master Bolt which was perfect, and that he was very close which was even more convenient. Hell, when she got back to the battle things were going much better than she originally thought. Arrows were raining again, but these somehow only struck monsters in fatal spots. After she saw the familiar shape and the silver heads of the projectiles, she concluded the hunters of Artemis had joined the battle and were placed around in the woods.  
In addition, the campers had apparently found a way to organize themselves against the surprise attack, and not one demigod she saw was without their armor or at least their weapon. Feeling that all her recent good luck was starting to run out (after all of the great good luck she'd had so far!), Annabeth jumped into the battle with Chiron in his centaur form at her side.  
The ancient teacher of demigods put any and every mortal or demigod archer Annabeth knew of to shame. However, the icing on the cake was probably the most unexpected thing of all the totally unexpected things that had happened that morning; as she fought and not very long after she'd made her call, Annabeth had started a very tough fight with a dracaena, and that dracaena was smitten flat when a torrent of fire fell right on top of it. The daughter of Athena had looked up just in time to see a dragon - the exact same one Percy had taken on his quest, soaring above the fighting and raining fire on the grounds.  
What had Percy called him? Fred? Or Festus? Yes, that was it. Festus, the "Happy Dragon". Well, maybe they weren't getting squashed after all! Annabeth startled herself by realizing she had been standing there, staring at the dragon and not moving as she did so, and she immediately shook herself out of her fascination. What a pitiful death it would be to die while praising her own luck. "Annabeth! Where have you been? I thought you were dead!"  
The demigoddess turned to the voice calling for her, and saw it was her half-brother, Malcolm. His orange T-shirt had known better days, but apart from that and a nasty cut on his forehead, he seemed fine. "I called for reinforcements!" she replied, but her voice was covered by the fighting going on. "I called for reinforcements", she shouted again, trying make herself heard above the din. "WHAT?" spouted her youger half-brother; "I SAID- OH GOD WATCH OUT!" she screamed in warning.  
He probably didn't hear her, but her horrified expression was apparently enough to tell him he was in trouble, and more precisely that a spear had been hurled at him by a monster, that monster being the Minotaur. Malcolm ducked instinctively, but Annabeth did not; and the weapon went right for her in a deadly line, burying its tip in her stomach.  
Annabeth wavered, and the clashing noises of the battle were reduced to unimportant squallings in her mind; and feeling vaguely as if she was going to throw up, she took two seconds to begin feeling the agonizing pain piercing through her body. When she did, she didn't scream; she simply fell unconscious, probably never waking up again, but that thought didn't cross her mind.  
The last conscious thought she had when she saw her half-brother jumping to his feet and running towards her and not giving a damn about the charging Minotaur behind him, was somehow logical and a little bit selfish: "Good luck guys; your problem now, not mine anymore". And then, all the lights went out.

* * *

**At the Hunters' Camp:**  
Ignorance was bliss, all right. Thalia Grace, on that day, was the perfect example of this very thought. What she first thought was going to be a really calm day was in fact going to be one of the most hellacious days of her life, but not knowing so kept her happy and optimistic. Of course, she had her own little share of problems.  
What with Artemis gone for three days, some sort of 'bad mood' had taken over their group and it did nothing to help matters when they'd received orders to go to Camp Half-Blood. The lieutenant of the hunt, Zoe Nightshade had gotten quite a lot of complaints about that particular trip, but she had made it clear what she thought of any huntress who wanted to disobey any direct orders from Lady Artemis herself.  
When Thalia had asked why they were going there, Zoe simply shrugged and told her that was what the goddess herself had ordered her to do, and Thalia didn't press further. Now they were, according to Zoe, less than one hour away from their destination. And that was fine by Thalia; sometimes a real bed was better than running around America hunting for monsters and sleeping on the ground. Besides, she wanted to see some of her friends.  
"So, happy to be back home?" Phoebe asked, nudging Thalia with her elbow. The daughter of Zeus had been walking ahead of the main group accompanied by Phoebe, but Thalia had barely noticed what had been said. She shrugged, replying "I kind of miss it sometimes, but it's not that bad. And you?"  
"Speak for yourself," replied Phoebe. "I never complain about orders, but I honestly don't like going to Camp Half-Blood. I guess Lady Artemis has a good reason for our being there." "Uh huh," agreed Thalia absently, kicking a few rocks on the path. All of a sudden... "Wait! What is that?" It was Phoebe's voice, and it made Thalia tear her gaze up and away from the ground. The huntress was pointing to a hill, more precisely THE hill that announced Camp Half-Blood's border; but this time it was different.  
There was an impressively large encampment- wait,no! There was a freakin' army surrounding Thalia's old home! The sound of clashing weapons and monsters reached her ears. The very first thought Thalia became aware of was of was "Why didn't I see it earlier?" "Oh sweet Olympus, that's-that's..." Phoebe was choking for words unsuccessfully. Thalia looked behind her; the huntresses who stayed behind (all of them,really)were staring curiously at the both of them, and Zoe approached, quickening her pace.  
"Thalia, Phoebe, what-" she began, then she froze. Thalia blinked and concluded that one had to be closer to the border in order to see it. "That is-"... "Camp Half-Blood," finished Phoebe, recovering her voice, "and apparently under attack."  
Zoe stared for a few more moments and then the serious expression returned to her face. "Thalia and Phoebe, we shall split into three groups. Each one of us shall take a different direction; we shall keep some distance, but once in thine positions, thou shalt fire at will, but be ye careful so as not to injure any camper. In truth, I do believe this is why our Lady Artemis hath sent us here. Once ye do run out of arrows, then and only then attack directly."  
Zoe's archaic way of speaking still made Thalia have to think about the Lieutenant of the Hunt's commands. That was Zoe, or rather, the calmest person-contemplating-any-life-or-death-situation Thalia had ever heard. And the Hunt sprang into action, all moving as if one one even had to speak, They ran like the expertly oiled machine they were, taking all non-verbal cues from their leaders.

* * *

'Well, so much for a break after all that hunting' Thalia thought grimly. She shot the last of her arrows which bristled through the air and ended up impaling a hellhound. It had been more than half an hour since they'd gone into battle, and they'd applied Zoe's plan to the letter so far. Thalia counted absolutely no loss from her group and she wanted to keep it that way.  
"Thalia, should we go on hand-to-hand now? We're running out of arrows," suggested a huntress who Thalia recognized as Helena, a daughter of Demeter and one of their newest recruits. The demigoddess nodded and unsheathed two extremely sharp hunting knives. "Let's go, but be careful. Focus on killing as many as possible." "My lady," said Helena humbly, "that was an entirely useless advice, with all due respect."  
Thalia grinned at her and said, "Sure, smartass, now let's show these monsters a thing or two about fighting!" Thalia finished her sentence, raising her voice nearly to a yell and a bloodthirsty yell at that! The hunters charged and as if with mutual agreement, their comrade campers, seeing them go took their cue and plunged into the sea of monsters(no pun intended).

* * *

Inside Camp Half-Blood, the battle was still raging. Hope among campers had risen quite a lot when the battleground was suddenly flooded with a wave of silver, but the enemy had its own reinforcements; more and more monsters were pouring out against the demigods, but the final blow to the children of the gods was the arrival of the Titan...

* * *

Clarisse was having a good time slaughtering monsters, but even the daughter of Ares had her limits, and she could feel herself tiring. Nevertheless she showed no signs of tiring, and instead focused on turning her current opponent into a monster shish-kebab - an act of magic that was at least a bit tricky given that her opponent was a thirty foot long drakon. Just a baby, really.  
"Clarisse! Retreat! RETREAT!" She recognized the voice as one of her brothers', Alex, but she ignored it. The daughter of Ares snarled and viciously stabbed at the drakon's left eye, all the while doing her best to dodge the monster's acid shots. "Clarisse! We're retreating godsdam it!" "You run if you want to!" she screamed back, while not tearing her gaze from her opponent - who had now committed a fatal mistake by exposing its weak eye.  
Before her brother could answer, she plunged the tip of her newly fixed electric spear, Maimer, into the large yellow globe. The monster hissed, before dissolving with a howl of pain so loud and shrill that it caused all nearby to shudder in fear; no one was unaffected. It sounded like nails on a chalk board. Worse, in fact!  
Clarisse yanked her spear out of its armor shell-which was all that was left besides the enormous pile of golden dust- with a satisfied grunt. She turned to face her brother, who was a few yards away, looking torn between the urge to save her and run for his life. "I ain't running nowhere," she bellowed at him. "If you want to chicken out, it's your own dam-" She didn't finish.  
The end of her sentence was covered by an extremely loud rumble, the sound of a quake. Clarisse turned in time to see something that made her gawk in utter amazement; a huge, tall figure, dressed in classic Greek armor, had landed a few yards away from her, a la Thor. The force of the impact upon his landing had blown away the few nearby monsters and demigods like they weren't even there. The earth where the newcomer's fist had collided was cracked, and Clarisse felt for the first time in her life, puny and weak.  
The newcomer stood up lazily. His armor wasn't very elaborate, but it had a strange blue aura and its material, although regular Celestial Bronze seemed tougher and much more powerful. When he spoke, his voice seemed to echo through the whole place. "Camp Half-Blood, home of the demigods," he said carelesssly, "What better place to have fun."  
He turned his gaze to Clarisse, and asked with a small smirk, "Excellent. A daughter of Ares. Come here, girl. You will be my first victim." Clarisse couldn't believe this guy. She had been told before that she was overconfident, but this asshole was acting as though he had no chance at all of losing. Well, two could play that game.  
"And you are...?" Her tone was hiding the knot of fear in her stomach really very well, but she had figured to hell with caution; if she was going to die, better to die like a true daughter of war. The man smiled, saying: "I am Oceanus, Titan of the Sea, little child, and I suppose you are planning to use this weapon you have? Why bother? You should know that I cannot challenge you, but if you attack me, I can use all of my powers to kill you. And that wouldn't give you very good chances of living, would it? After all, I am more powerful than even my own son-in-law, Poseidon. Does that tell you enough about me?"  
Clarisse gritted her teeth. In normal circumstances, she'd have attacked with a furious roar, a long time ago - after all, she was a warrior and not a schemer. But something in the Titan's attitude had stopped her, and that feeling had only subsided after he had claimed to be a Titan. Above them, the sky rumbled. Oceanus raised his head, mildly surprised, only to receive a lightning bolt dead in the face.  
The Titan staggered obviously trying to keep his balance, but that turned for the worst when a five foot long silver spear struck him squarely in this back, sending him to the ground face first. Behind him stood Thalia Grace herself, daughter of Zeus and effing drama queen, in Clarisse's ungrateful opinion.  
"Hey LaRue, are you gonna just stand there, or are you gonna gimme a hand?" Thalia hollered, taking out two gleaming daggers. Clarisse shook herself once and gripped her spear more tightly, but the Titan was already getting up. His face didn't show any rage or fury, but mild annoyance. He yanked the spear out of himself with a grunt and broke it in two. He then turned and looked both girls right in the eye and said, "Now, show me your TRUE power." The two demigodesses took one look at each other and charged, shouting together: "Let's roll"!

* * *

Piper was frozen. She couldn't feel her face anymore. She'd had to close her eyes to keep burning tears from falling out, and she was positive she didn't have toes anymore. Percy, of course, didn't have such problems, and, besides, they were almost home! Piper could see Camp Half-Blood already.  
At first, she had thought things couldn't be as bad as Chiron and Annabeth had made them out to be. But upon landing near the Big House, which was surrounded by monsters and protected by only a thin semi-circle of campers and girls in silver parkas, she realized how very wrong she had been.  
"Chiron!" Percy called out lodly just as they were landing. He seemed torn between wanting to bring out the godly weapon contained in the small bag he carried and waiting for some instructions.  
A camper backed away from the line of defenders and into the empty space that Percy and Piper were standing in. It was Malcolm, one of Annabeth's brothers. He had bruises all over his face, and he was limping, but he managed to talk.  
"Guys, we're losing. I think we're the only group of survivors, and Travis told me they spotted a Titan not far from here. He also told me Clarisse and Thalia are holding him off, but I don't think they'll last very long. You came with help?" He asked hopefully.  
Percy showed him the bag as his answer, and after he opened it, Malcolm's eyes almost bulged out of his skull. "Is that- are you-"

"Yeah," Percy answered seriously, "so here is what we're gonna do: Piper, stay here with Malcolm and be careful. Me, I'm gonna rain unholy Hades on those bastards."  
Malcolm stared at him for a moment, then broke into a grin that was missing a few teeth, and exclaimed "Rock n' roll, then!" Percy grinned back.

"Okay. but first I'll see what Travis means by 'Titan', so you'll have to hold on for a little while longer." "No problem. Oh, and, Percy," Malcolm said, placing a hand on Percy's shoulder, "Thanks."

**Author's Note:**** This is it for Chapter 10. A bit short, I know, but bear with me, guys. Besides, I'll soon be able to write more often, so you'll be getting more chapters, I promise.**


	11. Note

**ATTENTION EVERYONE!**

**To everyone following this story: I want you to know that I will take some time updating. Right now, I will work on editing the story (mostly the first chapters) . I have received some complaints about the writing in general for the oldest ones, and I want to thank everyone who pointed out the mistakes. You are right, and I apologize if the bad grammar and spelling offended you. I, with the help of Charlee56, will make the story as enjoyable as possible. **

**Thank you for your time and attention. **


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